Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Sunset Crater National Monument's normal year runs from 12°F December nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 17.0 inches of precipitation and 49 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.8°C, December lows of −11°C, July highs of 29°C, 433 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSunset Crater National Monument
- Station IDUSC00028329
- Location35.37°N 111.54°W
- Elevation6,980 ft (2,128 m)
On October 14, the normal high in Sunset Crater National Monument is 65°F and the normal low 29°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 15%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sunset Crater National Monument.
- Jan 44° 13°
- Feb 47° 16°
- Mar 54° 21°
- Apr 61° 27°
- May 70° 34°
- Jun 82° 42°
- Jul 84° 49°
- Aug 81° 47°
- Sep 75° 40°
- Oct 65° 28°
- Nov 53° 18°
- Dec 44° 12°
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 Sunset Crater National Monument each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.45 in), the least in June (0.31 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F | 13°F | 28.4°F | 1.41 | 12.2 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 10 h |
| February | 47°F | 16°F | 31.4°F | 1.10 | 9.4 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 54°F | 21°F | 37.4°F | 1.08 | 6.1 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 61°F | 27°F | 44.1°F | 0.65 | 4.2 | 4 | <1 | 22 | 13 h |
| May | 70°F | 34°F | 51.9°F | 0.69 | 0.8 | 4 | <1 | 15 | 14 h |
| June | 82°F | 42°F | 62.0°F | 0.31 | 0.0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 84°F | 49°F | 66.6°F | 2.65 | 0.0 | 12 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 81°F | 47°F | 63.9°F | 3.45 | 0.0 | 14 | 1 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 75°F | 40°F | 57.5°F | 1.72 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 5 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 28°F | 46.3°F | 1.39 | 1.2 | 5 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 53°F | 18°F | 35.8°F | 0.87 | 3.5 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 44°F | 12°F | 28.2°F | 1.72 | 11.9 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 29°F | 46.1°F | 17.04 | 49.3 | 75 | 13 | 215 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −11°C | −2.0°C | 36 mm | 31 cm |
| February | 8°C | −9°C | −0.3°C | 28 mm | 24 cm |
| March | 12°C | −6°C | 3.0°C | 27 mm | 15 cm |
| April | 16°C | −3°C | 6.7°C | 17 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 21°C | 1°C | 11.1°C | 18 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 28°C | 5°C | 16.7°C | 8 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 9°C | 19.2°C | 67 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 8°C | 17.7°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 4°C | 14.2°C | 44 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | −2°C | 7.9°C | 35 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 12°C | −8°C | 2.1°C | 22 mm | 9 cm |
| December | 7°C | −11°C | −2.1°C | 44 mm | 30 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00028329; 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 Sunset Crater National Monument?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (2).
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 USC00028329.
When is the last frost at Sunset Crater National Monument?
In Sunset Crater National Monument, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after June 16 in half of years and after June 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 19 in half of years and before August 31 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- June 161 year in 10 after June 29; 9 in 10 after June 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 191 year in 10 before August 31; 9 in 10 before September 30
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 94 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 113 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after June 5 in half of springs and before September 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sunset Crater National Monument in zone 6b in ZIP code 86004, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −10°F (21 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Arizona · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00028329; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Sunset Crater National Monument?
In a normal year in Sunset Crater National Monument, 13 days a year reach 90°F, 215 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 75 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 13a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 215a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 10high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 75a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 13a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1969) is 99°F, on June 26, 1994; the lowest is −28°F, on February 1, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2015, with 28.17 in; the snowiest season is 1972–73, with 126.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00028329; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00028329. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Sunset Crater National Monument?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Sunset Crater National Monument, 5.6 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (93%) and July the cloudiest (81%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 83% | 3.2 |
| February | 84% | 4.2 |
| March | 87% | 5.7 |
| April | 88% | 7.0 |
| May | 89% | 7.8 |
| June | 93% | 8.4 |
| July | 81% | 6.9 |
| August | 82% | 6.4 |
| September | 89% | 5.9 |
| October | 89% | 4.8 |
| November | 89% | 3.6 |
| December | 81% | 2.8 |
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 Sunset Crater National Monument record?
A normal year at Sunset Crater National Monument brings 7,029 heating degree days, 31% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 171 cooling degree days, 81% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,758 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,136 | 0 |
| February | 939 | 0 |
| March | 854 | 0 |
| April | 629 | 0 |
| May | 410 | 4 |
| June | 130 | 42 |
| July | 34 | 83 |
| August | 72 | 38 |
| September | 228 | 4 |
| October | 581 | 0 |
| November | 875 | 0 |
| December | 1,141 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,029 | 171 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00028329. 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 Sunset Crater National Monument been warmer than normal?
Over 37 complete years from 1970 to 2016, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 7.3°F per century (+0.41°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Sunset Crater National Monument's climate compare?
Sunset Crater National Monument is warmer than 3 of the 97 places with their own NOAA record in Arizona, and wetter than 72. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.1°F is warmer than 24%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Sunset Crater National Monument is Dsb: continental, dry-summer, warm summer. 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.
Which places near Sunset Crater National Monument share this climate record?
Timberline-Fernwood has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Timberline-Fernwood, AZ2,326 people · 4 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Sunset Crater National Monument's climate
What is the coldest month at Sunset Crater National Monument?
December, with a normal high of 44°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 49°F at night).
Does it snow at Sunset Crater National Monument?
Yes: 49 inches in a normal year, falling on 20 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (12.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Sunset Crater National Monument?
August, with 3.45 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.31 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Sunset Crater National Monument in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sunset Crater National Monument in zone 6b in ZIP code 86004, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −10°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come at Sunset Crater National Monument?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after June 16; in one year in ten it comes after June 29. Waiting until June 29 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Arizona climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Fort Valley, AZ13 miles from this station, 47.4°F a year
- Walnut Canyon National Monument, AZ14 miles from this station, 50.6°F a year
- Wupatki National Monument, AZ14 miles from this station, 58.2°F a year
- Flagstaff, AZ17 miles from this station, 46.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made