Kitt Peak, AZ Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Kitt Peak's primary NOAA station, KITT PEAK.
The climate verdict for Kitt Peak
Dryness leads the climate profile for Kitt Peak, Arizona, with 19.9 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 56°F. Its climate comfort score of 68/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 56% of station-mapped location scores.
- 56°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 68/100
- comfort score, above 56% of station-mapped location scores
- 19.9"
- annual precipitation · 8" snow
- 192 days
- frost-free growing season
Kitt Peak: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00024675 · Kitt Peak, AZ 56°F mean · 19.9" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-NARROW · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 56°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,322
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Covelo
- PRCP-DRY 19.9"
- SWING-NARROW 28°F
- COMF-MID 68/100
- LOAD-HEAT 3,992 HDD
- STN-1 USC00024675
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Covelo, CA (+ 0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every AZ station list.
- Kitt Peak (this station) 56°F
- Hot Illahe, OR 56°F
- Near Covelo, CA 56°F
- Near Roseburg Rgnl, OR 56°F
- Cold Oregon City, OR 55°F
Climate Living Index · Kitt Peak
Kitt Peak: 71/100 · grade B
Kitt Peak publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Kitt Peak, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 68/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 0 calendar days | 100/100 · A |
| Snowfall burden | 8.0 inches/year | 66/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 55.7°F · 11.8° from 67.5°F | 62/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 192 days/year | 59/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 19.9 in · 15.1 from 35 in | 47/100 · D |
Kitt Peak · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Kitt Peak is a temperate Köppen climate: Csb
Coldest-month mean 42.0°F and warmest-month mean 70.4°F place this station in temperate, dry-summer, warm summer climates (Csb). Class Csb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, dry-summer, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Csb
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 70.4°F
- Coldest month
- 42.0°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Kitt Peak sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Kitt Peak's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 63rd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 72%
- Kitt Peak's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 92%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Kitt Peak is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Kitt Peak compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Kitt Peak's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
68 Top 44% score exceeds 56% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Kitt Peak's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 31 complete annual observations from 1962 to 2019, KITT PEAK warmed at a fitted rate of 0.18°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Kitt Peak primary station fitted change +0.18 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F (10°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 1.7" | 0.9" | 12.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 51°F (11°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 1.5" | 2.3" | 11.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 56°F (14°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 1.5" | 2.2" | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| April | 63°F (17°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 0.3" | 0.9" | 4.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 71°F (22°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| June | 80°F (27°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 0.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.3 |
| July | 80°F (27°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| August | 79°F (26°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 4.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| September | 75°F (24°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 2.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 68°F (20°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 0.9" | 0.4" | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 58°F (15°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 0.7" | 0.3" | 6.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 50°F (10°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 1.9" | 1.0" | 13.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The calendar barely moves in Kitt Peak: no date carries a normal high of 90°F or a normal low at freezing. The year runs between 33°F near December 24 and 82°F near June 26.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 33°F around December 24.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is August 1, when 43% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is April 30 at 4%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 59 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 14 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 22°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Kitt Peak.
Where Kitt Peak Stands Nationally
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 22°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Kitt Peak earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 0.9"
4.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.3"
4.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.2"
3.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.9"
1.7 days with precipitation
1.4 days with precipitation
1.4 days with precipitation
12.0 days with precipitation
12.9 days with precipitation
7.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
3.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
2.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.0"
4.6 days with precipitation
Kitt Peak runs a summer-peaked wet season
44% of Kitt Peak's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is August at 4.4", on an unusually narrow 28.4°F seasonal spread. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: August, July, September, taking 54% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: April at 0.3".
- Winter share: 26% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Kitt Peak's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 59 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 19.9" between them, or roughly 0.34 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Snow reaches Kitt Peak, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 8.0 inches of snow a year here, most likely in February. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 5 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
November 4
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 26
50% probability date
Growing Season
192 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
3,992
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
616
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AZ closest to Kitt Peak on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (56°F here).
- Alton, MO 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Boonville, MO 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Festus, MO 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Hamlin, WV 56°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (19.9" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Colville, WA 19.9" · 0.0" off
- Lakeview, MT 19.9" · 0.0" off
- Porcupine, SD 19.9" · 0.0" off
- Whitefish, MT 19.9" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Kitt Peak's climate pattern fits together
heating led · dry · low swing
Heating is the larger measured load in Kitt Peak, at 3,992 degree days versus 616 for cooling. Unlike a strongly continental record, however, its 28.4°F month-to-month range is compact; persistent cool-season demand matters more than a dramatic summer-to-winter reversal.
Kitt Peak's frost-free season lasts about 192 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
The calendar stays thermally compact and dry. July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar, only 28.4°F apart, while the annual precipitation total remains below PlainClimate's dry threshold. The annual average is 56°F. The monthly rows show whether that limited precipitation is spread through the year or concentrated in a shorter interval.
Kitt Peak's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 19.9 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Annual snowfall totals 8.0 inches. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Kitt Peak's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Kitt Peak, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Kitt Peak's climate
How much rain does Kitt Peak get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Kitt Peak? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Kitt Peak's primary station: KITT PEAK (USC00024675). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Kitt Peak; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Kitt Peak comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.