Pinnacle Peak, Arizona climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Pinnacle Peak's normal year runs from 42°F December nights to 99°F July afternoons, with 11.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 20.8°C, December lows of 6°C, July highs of 37°C, 295 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPinnacle Peak
- Station IDUSC00026603
- Location33.73°N 111.86°W
- Elevation2,565 ft (782 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Pinnacle Peak is 81°F and the normal low 58°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Pinnacle Peak.
- Jan 64° 43°
- Feb 66° 45°
- Mar 72° 49°
- Apr 79° 54°
- May 87° 62°
- Jun 96° 71°
- Jul 99° 76°
- Aug 98° 75°
- Sep 94° 71°
- Oct 83° 61°
- Nov 72° 50°
- Dec 63° 42°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Pinnacle Peak each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 99°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 42°F. The most precipitation falls in February (1.67 in), the least in June (0.07 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64°F | 43°F | 53.2°F | 1.47 | – | <1 | 1 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 66°F | 45°F | 55.3°F | 1.67 | – | <1 | 1 | 11 h |
| March | 72°F | 49°F | 60.0°F | 1.48 | – | <1 | <1 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 79°F | 54°F | 66.1°F | 0.47 | – | 2 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 87°F | 62°F | 74.1°F | 0.27 | – | 12 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 96°F | 71°F | 83.8°F | 0.07 | – | 27 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 99°F | 76°F | 87.7°F | 1.00 | – | 30 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 98°F | 75°F | 86.5°F | 1.25 | – | 30 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 94°F | 71°F | 82.2°F | 0.83 | – | 24 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 83°F | 61°F | 71.9°F | 0.95 | – | 6 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 72°F | 50°F | 61.2°F | 0.76 | – | <1 | <1 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 63°F | 42°F | 52.6°F | 1.39 | – | <1 | 1 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 81°F | 58°F | 69.5°F | 11.61 | – | 132 | 4 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°C | 6°C | 11.8°C | 37 mm |
| February | 19°C | 7°C | 12.9°C | 42 mm |
| March | 22°C | 9°C | 15.6°C | 38 mm |
| April | 26°C | 12°C | 18.9°C | 12 mm |
| May | 30°C | 16°C | 23.4°C | 7 mm |
| June | 36°C | 22°C | 28.8°C | 2 mm |
| July | 37°C | 24°C | 30.9°C | 25 mm |
| August | 37°C | 24°C | 30.3°C | 32 mm |
| September | 34°C | 22°C | 27.9°C | 21 mm |
| October | 28°C | 16°C | 22.2°C | 24 mm |
| November | 22°C | 10°C | 16.2°C | 19 mm |
| December | 17°C | 6°C | 11.4°C | 35 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00026603; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Pinnacle Peak?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in February, March, April, October and November.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00026603.
When is the last frost at Pinnacle Peak?
In Pinnacle Peak, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after January 27 in half of years and after March 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 21 in half of years and before November 28 in one year in ten. A night at 32°F or colder comes at all in 91% of years here (NOAA).
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- January 271 year in 10 after March 5; 9 in 10 after December 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 211 year in 10 before November 28; 9 in 10 before January 24
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 330 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 365 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 6 in half of springs and before January 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pinnacle Peak in zone 10a in ZIP code 85266, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Arizona · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00026603; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Pinnacle Peak?
In a normal year in Pinnacle Peak, 132 days a year reach 90°F (45 of them 100°F or more) and 4 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 132a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 45a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 4a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00026603.
How sunny is it at Pinnacle Peak?
Over a year 91% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Pinnacle Peak, 5.8 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (97%) and December the cloudiest (84%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 85% | 3.4 |
| February | 84% | 4.3 |
| March | 89% | 5.8 |
| April | 93% | 7.3 |
| May | 95% | 8.2 |
| June | 97% | 8.5 |
| July | 91% | 7.4 |
| August | 91% | 6.8 |
| September | 93% | 6.1 |
| October | 93% | 5.0 |
| November | 89% | 3.8 |
| December | 84% | 3.0 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Pinnacle Peak record?
A normal year at Pinnacle Peak brings 1,462 heating degree days, 73% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 3,152 cooling degree days, 3.5 times the median (908). Two months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 7,296 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 365 | 0 |
| February | 276 | 5 |
| March | 183 | 30 |
| April | 62 | 95 |
| May | 13 | 295 |
| June | 0 | 564 |
| July | 0 | 702 |
| August | 0 | 667 |
| September | 0 | 516 |
| October | 22 | 234 |
| November | 156 | 44 |
| December | 385 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 1,462 | 3,152 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00026603. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Pinnacle Peak been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 72.1°F, 2.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 69.5°F. 3 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 71.0°F | +1.5°F | 19.97 |
| 2022 | 70.7°F | +1.2°F | 11.17 |
| 2024 | 72.1°F | +2.6°F | 8.86 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00026603. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Pinnacle Peak's climate compare?
Pinnacle Peak is warmer than 65 of the 97 places with their own NOAA record in Arizona, and wetter than 48. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 69.5°F is warmer than 95%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Pinnacle Peak is BSh: hot semi-arid steppe. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Pinnacle Peak's climate
What is the coldest month at Pinnacle Peak?
December, with a normal high of 63°F and a normal low of 42°F. The warmest is July (99°F by day, 76°F at night).
What is the rainiest month at Pinnacle Peak?
February, with 1.67 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.07 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Pinnacle Peak in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Pinnacle Peak in zone 10a in ZIP code 85266, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Pinnacle Peak?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after January 27; in one year in ten it comes after March 5. Waiting until March 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Arizona climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Carefree, AZ7 miles from this station, 70.6°F a year
- Scottsdale, AZ8 miles from this station, 73.2°F a year
- Fountain Hills, AZ12 miles from this station, 72.1°F a year
- Phoenix Deer Valley Municipal Airport, AZ13 miles from this station, 72.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made