Walnut Canyon National Monument, AZ Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
- Cooler than median · Avg annual temp
- 51°FAnnual mean temperature: 50.6°F. National station-mapped location corpus median: 52.2°F across 6,861 measured records.
- Lower score band · Comfort score
- 44/100PlainClimate Comfort Score: 44/100. National station-mapped Comfort Score corpus median: 64/100 across 6,189 measured records.
- Drier national band · Annual precip
- 17.5"Annual precipitation: 17.5 inches. National station-mapped location corpus median: 36.2 inches across 6,352 measured records.
- Short-season national band · Growing season
- 146dFrost-free growing season: 146 days. National station-mapped location corpus median: 180 days across 6,446 measured records.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Walnut Canyon National Monument's primary NOAA station, WALNUT CANYON NM.
The climate verdict for Walnut Canyon National Monument
Dryness leads the climate profile for Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona, with 17.5 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 51°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 51°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 17.5"
- annual precipitation · 52" snow
- 146 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Based on NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020) - 30-year averages describing the typical year, not a forecast.
Avg Temperature
51°F (10°C)Annual mean temperature: 50.6°F. National station-mapped location corpus median: 52.2°F across 6,861 measured records.
Cooler than median
Avg High
65°FAnnual average daily high: 64.8°F. National station-mapped location corpus median: 63.8°F across 6,861 measured records.
Warmer than median
Avg Low
37°FAnnual average daily low: 36.5°F. National station-mapped location corpus median: 41.1°F across 6,861 measured records.
Cooler than median
Annual Precip
17.5"Annual precipitation: 17.5 inches. National station-mapped location corpus median: 36.2 inches across 6,352 measured records.
Drier national band
Annual Snow
52.4"Annual snowfall: 52.4 inches. National station-mapped location corpus median: 18.9 inches across 4,098 measured records.
High-snow national band
Comfort Score
44/100PlainClimate Comfort Score: 44/100. National station-mapped Comfort Score corpus median: 64/100 across 6,189 measured records.
Lower score band · Moderate
Climate Living Index · model supports three NOAA data products
Walnut Canyon National Monument's broader climate profile: 36/100
A percentile-benchmarked model across annual, daily, and hourly climate normals. This record uses 2 measured NOAA products; every input remains inspectable.
PlainClimate-derived, not an official NOAA rating. This separate index does not replace the established Comfort Score used in rankings, and it is not a verdict on safety, health, housing, culture, or overall quality of life.
-
Annual temperature balance
50.6°F · 16.9° from 67.5°F
43/100 D · weight 25%Distance from a 67.5°F annual mean; smaller is better.
NOAA annual/seasonal normals ·
ANN-TAVG-NORMAL -
Precipitation balance
17.5 in · 17.5 from 35 in
38/100 F · weight 15%Distance from 35 annual inches; smaller is better.
NOAA annual/seasonal normals ·
ANN-PRCP-NORMAL -
Snowfall burden
52.4 inches/year
20/100 F · weight 10%Annual snowfall; lower is better in this formula.
NOAA annual/seasonal normals ·
ANN-SNOW-NORMAL -
Frost-free season
146 days/year
22/100 F · weight 10%Days between NOAA 50% spring and fall freeze dates; longer is better.
NOAA annual/seasonal normals ·
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 + ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 -
Normal heat + freeze calendar
161 calendar days
39/100 F · weight 25%Normal high ≥90°F days plus normal low ≤32°F days; lower is better.
NOAA daily multivariate normals ·
DLY-TMAX-NORMAL + DLY-TMIN-NORMAL (derived counts) -
Summer moisture balance
Not measured
N/A N/A · weight 15%Not scored; its 15% weight redistributes across measured dimensions.
June–August mean dew point distance from 52.5°F; smaller is better.
NOAA hourly normals ·
HLY-DEWP-NORMAL
Live national benchmark table and calculation
Each raw metric is linearly interpolated across its live p10, p25, p50, p75, and p90 breakpoints. Equal-valued breakpoints collapse to their mean percentile; values outside p10-p90 extrapolate toward 0 or 100 using the nearest non-flat segment, then clamp to that range. Scores favor the direction shown, then combine by the listed weights. Missing dimensions are removed from both the weighted sum and available weight before normalization.
| Dimension | Weight | Better | p10 | p25 | p50 | p75 | p90 | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 25% | Lower | 3.4 | 7.9 | 15.3 | 21 | 25.2 | 6,861 |
| Precipitation balance | 15% | Lower | 2.7 | 7.1 | 14.2 | 20.9 | 25.7 | 6,352 |
| Snowfall burden | 10% | Lower | 0 | 2.1 | 18.9 | 42.7 | 69.8 | 4,098 |
| Frost-free season | 10% | Higher | 127 | 150 | 180 | 215 | 253 | 6,446 |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 25% | Lower | 56 | 102 | 145 | 180 | 207 | 6,859 |
| Summer moisture balance | 15% | Lower | 2.7 | 6.1 | 9.3 | 14.8 | 18.4 | 417 |
Grades: A 85–100 · B 70–84 · C 55–69 · D 40–54 · F below 40.
Established ranking Comfort Score: 44/100 · inspect its separate fixed-point formula
This legacy score keeps the rankings stable. It uses annual/seasonal normals only; unlike the Climate Living Index above, it is not percentile-scored per dimension.
- Temperature mildness50.6°F annual mean20/40 points
- Precipitation moderation17.5 inches/year20/30 points
- Snow burden52.4 inches/year0/15 points
- Frost-free season146 days/year4/15 points
44/100 available points → 44/100. Full Comfort Score method.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991–2020). This record uses NOAA annual/seasonal normals and NOAA daily multivariate normals; the model also supports hourly normals where published · data updated 2026-08-04. Full methodology and limits.
How Walnut Canyon National Monument compares with its closest stations
Against the 6 closest stations in the record, Walnut Canyon National Monument averages 51°F a year, warmer than Flagstaff Pulliam, AZ (47°F) and Sunset Crater National Monument, AZ (46°F), and cooler than Twin Arrows, AZ (55°F). On comfort score it places 5 of 6 in that local group.
Corpus-relative placement
Where Walnut Canyon National Monument sits across the climate record
These comparisons place this primary-station normal among station-mapped locations with the same NOAA 1991–2020 fields.
- Annual temperature
- Warmer than 43%
- of 6,861 measured location normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Wetter than 23%
- of 6,352 measured location normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Larger than 31%
- of 6,861 complete location-year normals.
How Walnut Canyon National Monument compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Walnut Canyon National Monument's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 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
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F (7°C) | 20°F (-6°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 1.3" | 13.3" | 29.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 49°F (9°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 1.7" | 11.0" | 25.4 | 0.0 |
| March | 56°F (13°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 1.5" | 7.9" | 23.3 | 0.0 |
| April | 62°F (17°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 0.8" | 5.5" | 15.1 | 0.0 |
| May | 71°F (22°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 0.6" | 0.3" | 4.8 | 0.2 |
| June | 82°F (28°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 4.6 |
| July | 86°F (30°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 2.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 7.6 |
| August | 82°F (28°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.7 |
| September | 78°F (25°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| October | 67°F (20°C) | 35°F (1°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 1.2" | 1.1" | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 55°F (13°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 1.4" | 3.5" | 23.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 45°F (7°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 1.2" | 9.8" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 87°F around July 7, short of 90°F on every date, while 161 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 19°F near January 1.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 3, then returns to freezing around October 26, covering 161 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 August 4, when 44% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 7 at 9%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 72 wet dates a year.
The widest day
October 4 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 34°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Walnut Canyon National Monument.
Where Walnut Canyon National Monument Stands Nationally
Daily temperature swings run wider than most of the country, peaking near 34°F between the normal high and low.
Standing computed against the distribution of 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations in the PlainClimate database; only nationally notable standings are shown.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 13.3"
5.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 11.0"
5.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.9"
4.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.5"
4.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
3.8 days with precipitation
2.2 days with precipitation
11.3 days with precipitation
13.1 days with precipitation
6.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.1"
5.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.5"
4.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.8"
5.4 days with precipitation
Walnut Canyon National Monument runs a summer-peaked wet season
35% of Walnut Canyon National Monument'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 3.4", on a 39°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, February, taking 44% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: June at 0.3".
- Winter share: 24% 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 Walnut Canyon National Monument's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 72 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 17.5" between them, or roughly 0.24 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.
Winter brings real snow to Walnut Canyon National Monument
Walnut Canyon National Monument averages 52.4 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 18 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 52.4 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 18 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 30% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 6
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 13
50% probability date
Growing Season
146 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,699
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
481
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Places with a similar climate profile
NOAA 1991–2020 annual normals connect this location to non-geographic peers. Temperature peers use annual mean temperature; energy peers use both heating and cooling degree days.
Closest annual-temperature peers
What Walnut Canyon National Monument's climate means for you
Walnut Canyon National Monument runs 51°F a year - peaking in July, coldest in January.
- The frost-free window is short at about 146 days, opening only once the last spring freeze passes near May 13, which rules out long-season crops outdoors.
- Keeping warm is the dominant household load: 5,699 heating degree days against only 481 for cooling.
- See how Walnut Canyon National Monument lines up against the rest of Arizona and the national rankings. See rankings
Climate Guides
Data-derived climate profile
How Walnut Canyon National Monument's climate pattern fits together
heating led · dry · mid swing
Walnut Canyon National Monument's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,699 annual heating degree days against 481 for cooling. Its 39.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 146 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Walnut Canyon National Monument's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 39.0°F. The annual average is 51°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Walnut Canyon National Monument's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 17.5 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Annual snowfall totals 52.4 inches. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Walnut Canyon National Monument'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. They are descriptive ranges, not an official NOAA classification or a forecast for any specific year.
The year in four calendar signals
- Warmest normal
- July
- The month averages 72°F (22°C), a middling summer peak by national standards rather than an extreme one.
- Coldest normal
- January
- The monthly mean of 33°F (0°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
- Rainfall rhythm
- August to June
- August is typically wettest; June is driest.
- Mild-temperature window
- May through September
- Monthly means sit between 55°F and 75°F in this window. Freezing days are still reported from January through December.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average temperature in Walnut Canyon National Monument, AZ? ▼
How much snow does Walnut Canyon National Monument get? ▼
How cold does Walnut Canyon National Monument get in winter? ▼
What is the comfort score for Walnut Canyon National Monument? ▼
When is the growing season in Walnut Canyon National Monument? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Walnut Canyon National Monument? ▼
Where does this Walnut Canyon National Monument climate data come from? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Walnut Canyon National Monument's primary station: WALNUT CANYON NM (USC00029156). 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. The reproducible method is an exact normalized name-and-state match; unresolved is an upper bound on facilities because spelling variants can be missed.
Related
Every figure on PlainClimate is rendered directly from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.