Photo: Martinoulis · CC BY-SA 3.0Bagdad reaches 100° on about 17 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 35°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 93% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.8° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 7, with the first autumn frost due around November 12.
A year in Bagdad at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bagdad’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bagdad’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Bagdad feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 217 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 7 and the first by November 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bagdad, AZ, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bagdad’s center in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 21°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bagdad, AZ, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 44 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bagdad
67% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Bagdad, AZ.
Living with Bagdad’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
217 frost-free days in zone 9a. The last frost comes by Apr 7 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, October and November. 12 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bagdad from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (83%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bagdad and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bagdad yet.
Climates most like Bagdad’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bagdad, AZ | 35° | 97° | 14" | 1.1" |
| Fort Stockton, TX | 33° | 96° | 13" | 1.4" |
| Yucca Valley, CA | 37° | 96° | 10" | 1.7" |
| Sunland Park, NM | 32° | 96° | 9" | 2.0" |
| Ivins, UT | 32° | 100° | 11" | 1.2" |
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 Bagdad averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 81% 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 Bagdad compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bagdad’s place among Arizona’s.
Bagdad weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bagdad’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bagdad, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 35° | 1.9" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| February | 61° | 36° | 2.1" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 42° – 55° |
| March | 67° | 40° | 1.5" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 45° – 61° |
| April | 74° | 44° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| May | 83° | 53° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| June | 93° | 62° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| July | 97° | 69° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 79° – 86° |
| August | 95° | 68° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 78° – 87° |
| September | 90° | 62° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| October | 79° | 52° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| November | 68° | 41° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| December | 58° | 35° | 1.4" | 0.4" | 4 | 0 | 42° – 52° |
| Year | 77° | 50° | 14.4" | 1.1" | 44 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 45° to 61°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Bagdad’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 Bagdad’s center.
- Snow: Bagdad, AZ (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bagdad, AZ, 1.4 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 Bagdad’s climate
What is the weather like in Bagdad?
A typical July afternoon reaches 97°, a January night drops to 35°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bagdad in winter?
January nights average 35°. About 60 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 43°.
How much snow does Bagdad get?
About 1.1 inches in a normal winter at Bagdad, AZ, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bagdad?
July, with a typical high of 97° and a low of 69°. About 99 days a year reach 90° and 17 reach 100° (Bagdad, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Bagdad?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 7 and the first fall frost by November 12, about 217 frost-free days, at Bagdad, AZ.
What growing zone is Bagdad in?
Zone 9a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bagdad?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bagdad getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bagdad.
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.