Wupatki National Monument, AZ Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
- Warmer than median · Avg annual temp
- 58°F
- Below score median · Comfort score
- 63/100
- Drier national band · Annual precip
- 8.5"
- Longer than median · Growing season
- 210d
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Wupatki National Monument's primary NOAA station, WUPATKI NM.
The climate verdict for Wupatki National Monument
Dryness leads the climate profile for Wupatki National Monument, Arizona, with 8.5 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 58°F. Its climate comfort score of 63/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 46% of station-mapped location scores.
- 58°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 63/100
- comfort score, above 46% of station-mapped location scores
- 8.5"
- annual precipitation · 3" snow
- 210 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Wupatki National Monument: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Avg Temperature
58°F (15°C)
Warmer than median
Avg High
71°F
Warmer than median
Avg Low
45°F
Warmer than median
Annual Precip
8.5"
Drier national band
Annual Snow
3.4"
Less snow than median
Comfort Score
63/100
Below score median · Good
Climate Living Index · Wupatki National Monument
Wupatki National Monument: 47/100 · grade D
Wupatki National Monument publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Wupatki National Monument, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 63/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 3.4 inches/year | 73/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 210 days/year | 71/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 58.2°F · 9.3° from 67.5°F | 70/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 175 calendar days | 29/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 8.5 in · 26.5 from 35 in | 8/100 · F |
Wupatki National Monument · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
How Wupatki National Monument compares with its closest stations
Against the 6 closest stations in the record, Wupatki National Monument averages 58°F a year, warmer than Sunset Crater National Monument, AZ (46°F) and Twin Arrows, AZ (55°F). On comfort score it places 2 of 6 in that local group.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Wupatki National Monument sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Wupatki National Monument's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 30% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Wupatki National Monument sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 96%
- Wupatki National Monument's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 60th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Wupatki National Monument compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Wupatki National Monument's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
63 46th percentile score exceeds 46% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Wupatki National Monument's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 58 complete annual observations from 1940 to 2024, WUPATKI NM warmed at a fitted rate of 0.18°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Wupatki National Monument primary station fitted change +0.18 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48°F (9°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 0.7" | 0.5" | 26.5 | 0.0 |
| February | 55°F (13°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 0.5" | 0.9" | 17.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 63°F (17°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 0.6" | 0.4" | 8.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 71°F (21°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 0.4" | 0.3" | 2.2 | 0.2 |
| May | 80°F (27°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.4" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 3.9 |
| June | 92°F (33°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 21.1 |
| July | 94°F (35°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 25.8 |
| August | 91°F (33°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 78°F (26°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 21.3 |
| September | 85°F (29°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 7.7 |
| October | 73°F (23°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| November | 58°F (14°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 0.5" | 0.4" | 12.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 46°F (8°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 0.6" | 0.9" | 26.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Wupatki National Monument works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 95°F by July 5 and hold at or above 90°F on 78 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 97 dates, bottoming at 24°F around December 21.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 10 through August 26, covering 78 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs April 14 to October 22.
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 24, then returns to freezing around November 20, covering 97 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 29% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 10 at 6%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 50 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 13 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 30°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Wupatki National Monument.
Where Wupatki National Monument Stands Nationally
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 9 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Heat is a defining feature of the normals calendar — the normal daily high reaches 90°F on roughly 78 days a year, more than four out of five ranked stations record.
Wupatki National Monument 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: 0.5"
3.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.9"
3.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
3.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
2.7 days with precipitation
3.0 days with precipitation
1.2 days with precipitation
7.1 days with precipitation
9.0 days with precipitation
5.4 days with precipitation
3.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
2.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.9"
3.7 days with precipitation
Wupatki National Monument runs a summer-peaked wet season
37% of Wupatki 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 July at 1.6", on a wide 45.3°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. 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 48% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: June at 0.1".
- Winter share: 21% 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.
Wupatki National Monument is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 49 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 14% of the calendar, and they carry 8.5" between them. At roughly 0.17 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is August at about 9 wet days; the driest is June at about 1.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Snow reaches Wupatki National Monument, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 3.4 inches of snow a year here, most likely in February. 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 3 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 3
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 7
50% probability date
Growing Season
210 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,053
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,602
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Stations with a similar heating and cooling load to Wupatki National Monument
Heating dominates Wupatki National Monument's year, so peers are matched on degree-day load rather than annual mean alone.
Scarce-water calendar
Where Wupatki National Monument's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Wupatki National Monument's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,053 annual heating degree days against 1,602 for cooling. Its 45.3°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Wupatki National Monument's frost-free season lasts about 210 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Wupatki National Monument's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 45.3°F. The annual average is 58°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Wupatki National Monument's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 8.5 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Annual snowfall totals 3.4 inches. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Wupatki National Monument wettest normal
July
July concentrates the scarce annual total (8.5 inches).
Wupatki National Monument driest normal
June
June is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Wupatki National Monument's climate
How dry is Wupatki National Monument? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Wupatki National Monument get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Wupatki National Monument? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Wupatki National Monument's primary station: WUPATKI NM (USC00029542). 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. No exact Gazetteer row for Wupatki National Monument; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Wupatki National Monument 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.