Tonopah, Nevada climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Tonopah's normal year runs from 20°F December nights to 92°F July afternoons, with 4.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.6°C, December lows of −6°C, July highs of 34°C, 122 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationTonopah
- Station IDUSW00023153
- Location38.05°N 117.09°W
- Elevation5,395 ft (1,644 m)
- Population (census place)1,938
On October 23, the normal high in Tonopah is 65°F and the normal low 36°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 6%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Tonopah.
- Jan 46° 22°
- Feb 49° 25°
- Mar 58° 30°
- Apr 64° 36°
- May 74° 44°
- Jun 85° 53°
- Jul 92° 59°
- Aug 90° 57°
- Sep 82° 50°
- Oct 68° 39°
- Nov 55° 27°
- Dec 45° 20°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Tonopah each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 92°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F. The most precipitation falls in February (0.53 in), the least in June (0.23 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 22°F | 33.9°F | 0.45 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 49°F | 25°F | 37.2°F | 0.53 | 4 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 58°F | 30°F | 43.8°F | 0.52 | 4 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 64°F | 36°F | 49.9°F | 0.29 | 3 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 74°F | 44°F | 59.0°F | 0.51 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 85°F | 53°F | 69.1°F | 0.23 | 2 | 12 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 92°F | 59°F | 75.7°F | 0.50 | 4 | 23 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 90°F | 57°F | 73.7°F | 0.39 | 3 | 20 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 82°F | 50°F | 65.7°F | 0.45 | 2 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 39°F | 53.5°F | 0.38 | 2 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 55°F | 27°F | 41.0°F | 0.28 | 2 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 45°F | 20°F | 32.5°F | 0.26 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 39°F | 52.9°F | 4.79 | 37 | 59 | 149 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −6°C | 1.1°C | 11 mm |
| February | 10°C | −4°C | 2.9°C | 13 mm |
| March | 14°C | −1°C | 6.6°C | 13 mm |
| April | 18°C | 2°C | 9.9°C | 7 mm |
| May | 23°C | 7°C | 15.0°C | 13 mm |
| June | 30°C | 12°C | 20.6°C | 6 mm |
| July | 34°C | 15°C | 24.3°C | 13 mm |
| August | 32°C | 14°C | 23.2°C | 10 mm |
| September | 28°C | 10°C | 18.7°C | 11 mm |
| October | 20°C | 4°C | 11.9°C | 10 mm |
| November | 13°C | −3°C | 5.0°C | 7 mm |
| December | 7°C | −6°C | 0.3°C | 7 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023153; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Tonopah?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, September and October. Of those, October 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 USW00023153.
When is the last frost in Tonopah?
In Tonopah, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 18 in half of years and before October 4 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
- April 301 year in 10 after May 24; 9 in 10 after April 13
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 181 year in 10 before October 4; 9 in 10 before November 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 169 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 193 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 17 in half of springs and before October 28 in half of autumns.
By the USDA's method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Tonopah's NOAA station is in plant hardiness zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Nevada · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00023153; 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 in Tonopah?
In a normal year in Tonopah, 59 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 149 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 37 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 59a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 149a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 6high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 37a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1954) is 105°F, on July 11, 2021; the lowest is −15°F, on January 24, 1962.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1978, with 10.64 in; the snowiest season is 1978–79, with 35.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00023153; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00023153. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Tonopah, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 30°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 34°F; the driest air comes in November (16°F). April is the windiest month (11.5 mph on average), and June has the most clear or nearly clear hours (91%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | 55% | 34% | 9.5 mph | 69% | 17% |
| February | 20°F | 49% | 28% | 10.2 mph | 69% | 16% |
| March | 19°F | 36% | 20% | 11.3 mph | 75% | 12% |
| April | 21°F | 29% | 15% | 11.5 mph | 75% | 10% |
| May | 27°F | 25% | 15% | 10.8 mph | 78% | 7% |
| June | 27°F | 18% | 11% | 9.8 mph | 91% | 3% |
| July | 34°F | 23% | 13% | 9.0 mph | 86% | 3% |
| August | 30°F | 23% | 13% | 8.8 mph | 88% | 3% |
| September | 25°F | 28% | 16% | 9.3 mph | 89% | 3% |
| October | 20°F | 36% | 20% | 9.3 mph | 80% | 7% |
| November | 16°F | 48% | 29% | 8.9 mph | 79% | 10% |
| December | 16°F | 56% | 37% | 8.6 mph | 71% | 18% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00023153. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Tonopah?
Over a year 87% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Tonopah, 5.4 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (93%) and December the cloudiest (75%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 2.7 |
| February | 78% | 3.6 |
| March | 82% | 5.1 |
| April | 84% | 6.5 |
| May | 86% | 7.4 |
| June | 93% | 8.4 |
| July | 91% | 7.8 |
| August | 93% | 7.3 |
| September | 93% | 6.1 |
| October | 89% | 4.5 |
| November | 84% | 3.1 |
| December | 75% | 2.3 |
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 much heating and cooling does Tonopah need?
A normal year in Tonopah brings 5,268 heating degree days, 2% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 894 cooling degree days, 1% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,159 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 964 | 0 |
| February | 778 | 0 |
| March | 656 | 0 |
| April | 452 | 0 |
| May | 215 | 31 |
| June | 44 | 167 |
| July | 1 | 334 |
| August | 2 | 272 |
| September | 67 | 86 |
| October | 362 | 4 |
| November | 720 | 0 |
| December | 1,007 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,268 | 894 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023153. 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.
Has Tonopah been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 54.4°F, 1.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 52.9°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54.0°F | +1.1°F | 3.46 |
| 2022 | 53.6°F | +0.7°F | 3.70 |
| 2023 | 51.7°F | −1.2°F | 7.50 |
| 2024 | 54.0°F | +1.1°F | 2.79 |
| 2025 | 54.4°F | +1.5°F | 6.08 |
Over 69 complete years from 1955 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.8°F per century (+0.27°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00023153; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Tonopah's climate compare?
Tonopah is warmer than 32 of the other 54 places with their own NOAA record in Nevada, and wetter than 6. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.9°F is warmer than 53%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Tonopah is BWk: cold desert. 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.
What do Tonopah's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Tonopah. This page uses Tonopah; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonopah station USC00268160 | 8 mi W | 6,010 ft | 51.3°F | 23°F | 88°F | 7.0 | – | April 30 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Tonopah's climate
What is the coldest month in Tonopah?
December, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (92°F by day, 59°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Tonopah?
February, with 0.53 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.23 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Tonopah in?
By the same method at Tonopah's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 2°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Tonopah?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 24. Waiting until May 24 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Tonopah in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Nevada climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Goldfield, NV25 miles from this station, 53.0°F a year
- Silverpeak, NV33 miles from this station, 55.2°F a year
- Twin Spring Fallini, NV51 miles from this station, 50.8°F a year
- Smoky Valley - Carvers, NV51 miles from this station, 50.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made