Sierra Vista, AZ Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Sierra Vista's primary NOAA station, SIERRA VISTA.
The climate verdict for Sierra Vista
Dryness leads the climate profile for Sierra Vista, Arizona, with 13.0 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 62°F. It scores 83/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 81% of them.
- 62°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 83/100
- comfort score, above 81% of station-mapped location scores
- 13.0"
- precipitation, annual total
- 218 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Sierra Vista: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00027880 · Sierra Vista, AZ 62°F mean · 13.0" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 62°F
- RANK-UPPER #5,420
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Ada
- PRCP-DRY 13.0"
- SWING-MID 32°F
- COMF-TOP 83/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USC00027880
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Ada, OK (+ 0 °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.
- Sierra Vista (this station) 62°F
- Hot Chico Univ Farm, CA 62°F
- Near Ada, OK 62°F
- Near Ardmore, TN 62°F
- Near Belhaven, NC 62°F
Climate Living Index · Sierra Vista
Sierra Vista: 64/100 · grade C
Sierra Vista publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Sierra Vista, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 83/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 0.4 inches/year | 87/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 61.6°F · 5.9° from 67.5°F | 82/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 218 days/year | 76/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 131 calendar days | 58/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 13.0 in · 22.0 from 35 in | 22/100 · F |
Sierra Vista · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Sierra Vista's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 77.0°F
- Coldest month
- 45.4°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 · balanced station
Where Sierra Vista sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Sierra Vista's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 21% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Sierra Vista sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 87%
- Sierra Vista's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 88%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Sierra Vista is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Sierra Vista compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Sierra Vista's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
83 Top 19% score exceeds 81% 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%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61°F (16°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 0.8" | 0.4" | 14.5 | 0.0 |
| February | 64°F (18°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 7.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 71°F (21°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3.1 | 0.0 |
| April | 78°F (25°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| May | 85°F (29°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 0.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.8 |
| June | 94°F (34°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 25.1 |
| July | 92°F (33°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 21.1 |
| August | 90°F (32°C) | 62°F (16°C) | 76°F (24°C) | 3.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 17.5 |
| September | 87°F (30°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 1.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 11.2 |
| October | 80°F (27°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 0.3 | 2.0 |
| November | 70°F (21°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 62°F (16°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 0.8" | 0.0" | 14.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Sierra Vista works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 95°F by June 20 and hold at or above 90°F on 57 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 74 dates, bottoming at 29°F around December 24.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from May 30 through July 25, covering 57 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 15 to November 15.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into February 11, then returns to freezing around November 30, covering 74 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is July 26, when 40% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is April 27 at 3%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 50 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 3 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 36°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Sierra Vista.
Where Sierra Vista Stands Nationally
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 13 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Daily temperature swings run wider than most of the country, peaking near 36°F between the normal high and low.
Sierra Vista earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 0.4"
3.8 days with precipitation
3.7 days with precipitation
2.3 days with precipitation
1.1 days with precipitation
1.3 days with precipitation
2.4 days with precipitation
12.3 days with precipitation
11.0 days with precipitation
4.8 days with precipitation
2.5 days with precipitation
1.9 days with precipitation
3.4 days with precipitation
Sierra Vista runs a summer-peaked wet season
57% of Sierra Vista'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 July at 3.5", on a 31.6°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: July, August, September, taking 63% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: May at 0.2".
- Winter share: 17% 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 Sierra Vista's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 51 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 13.0" between them, or roughly 0.26 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 Sierra Vista, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 0.4 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. 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 0 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 9
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 5
50% probability date
Growing Season
218 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
2,666
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,450
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AZ closest to Sierra Vista 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 (62°F here).
- Ada, OK 62°F · 0.0°F off
- Ardmore, TN 62°F · 0.0°F off
- Belhaven, NC 62°F · 0.0°F off
- Haleyville, AL 62°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (13.0" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Cedar City, UT 13.0" · 0.0" off
- Susanville, CA 13.0" · 0.0" off
- White Sulphur Springs, MT 13.0" · 0.0" off
- Cheraw, CO 13.0" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Sierra Vista's limited precipitation lands
mixed demand · dry · mid swing
Local precipitation is sparse in this otherwise mixed profile. The station reports 13.0 inches annually, within PlainClimate's dry band. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. The monthly distribution matters because the total alone does not reveal the timing.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Sierra Vista's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 31.6°F. The annual average is 62°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in Sierra Vista's normal, at 2,666 and 1,450 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.
A roughly 218-day frost-free season sits inside this mixed heating-and-cooling profile. Start and end dates matter because both sides of the thermostat register during a normal year.
Sierra Vista wettest normal
July
July concentrates the scarce annual total (13.0 inches).
Sierra Vista driest normal
May
May is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Sierra Vista's climate
How dry is Sierra Vista? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Sierra Vista get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Sierra Vista? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Sierra Vista's primary station: SIERRA VISTA (USC00027880). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0466820). Match rule for Sierra Vista: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Sierra Vista 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.