Photo: Chris English · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see fresher July days than Alpine
Midwinter brings lows of about 18°. Seasons differ by 59°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 89% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Alpine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alpine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alpine’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Alpine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 96 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 15 and the first by September 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Alpine, AZ, 0.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alpine’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alpine, AZ, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; August is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alpine
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Alpine, AZ.
Living with Alpine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
96 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 15 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alpine from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alpine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alpine yet.
Climates most like Alpine’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine, AZ | 18° | 77° | 20" | 45" |
| Bigfork, MT | 19° | 82° | 19" | 51" |
| Big Bear Lake, CA | 25° | 80° | 24" | 59" |
| Escanaba, MI | 11° | 77° | 30" | 47" |
| Sheboygan, WI | 15° | 79° | 32" | 45" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alpine averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 56% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Alpine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alpine’s place among Arizona’s.
Alpine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alpine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alpine, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 18° | 1.3" | 10.7" | 5 | 27° – 37° |
| February | 47° | 20° | 1.3" | 9.9" | 5 | 27° – 39° |
| March | 52° | 24° | 1.2" | 8.2" | 4 | 31° – 43° |
| April | 59° | 28° | 0.7" | 1.7" | 2 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 67° | 35° | 0.6" | 0.5" | 4 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 77° | 43° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 55° – 63° |
| July | 77° | 49° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 60° – 66° |
| August | 74° | 48° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 15 | 59° – 65° |
| September | 70° | 42° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 53° – 59° |
| October | 62° | 33° | 1.6" | 1.3" | 5 | 45° – 52° |
| November | 52° | 25° | 1.3" | 4.6" | 3 | 32° – 47° |
| December | 44° | 18° | 1.6" | 7.9" | 5 | 26° – 36° |
| Year | 60° | 32° | 19.8" | 44.8" | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 47°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Alpine’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Alpine’s center.
- Snow: Alpine, AZ (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Alpine, AZ, 0.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Alpine’s climate
What is the weather like in Alpine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alpine in winter?
December nights average 18°. About 218 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Alpine get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Alpine, AZ, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Alpine?
July, with a typical high of 77°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Alpine, AZ.
When is the first and last frost in Alpine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 15 and the first fall frost by September 21, about 96 frost-free days, at Alpine, AZ.
What growing zone is Alpine in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alpine?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alpine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alpine.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.