Photo: Richard N Horne · CC BY 4.0Benson’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 34°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Benson at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Benson’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Benson’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Benson feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 202 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from Benson 6se, AZ, 6 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Benson’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 19°. 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 Tombstone, AZ, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; July is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 53 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Benson
57% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from December through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Benson 6se, AZ.
Living with Benson’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
202 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April and October. 30 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Benson from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Benson and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Benson yet.
Climates most like Benson’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson, AZ | 34° | 94° | 14" | 1.2" |
| Fort Stockton, TX | 33° | 96° | 13" | 1.4" |
| Santa Teresa, NM | 33° | 95° | 9" | 2.0" |
| Yucca Valley, CA | 37° | 96° | 10" | 1.7" |
| Medford, OR | 32° | 92° | 19" | 3.4" |
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 Benson averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A bigger shift than in 65% 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 Benson compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Benson’s place among Arizona’s.
Benson weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Benson’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tombstone, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 34° | 0.9" | 0.5" | 4 | 0 | 43° – 52° |
| February | 65° | 36° | 0.9" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| March | 71° | 40° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| April | 78° | 46° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| May | 87° | 53° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| June | 96° | 62° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| July | 94° | 67° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 78° – 84° |
| August | 92° | 67° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 77° – 85° |
| September | 89° | 61° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| October | 81° | 50° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| November | 71° | 39° | 0.6" | 0.4" | 3 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| December | 62° | 33° | 0.9" | 0.2" | 4 | 0 | 43° – 52° |
| Year | 79° | 49° | 13.5" | 1.2" | 53 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 48° to 62°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Benson’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 Benson’s center.
- Snow: Tombstone, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Benson 6se, AZ, 6 miles from the town’s center, 470 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Benson’s climate
What is the weather like in Benson?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 34°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 78% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Benson in winter?
December nights average 33°. About 93 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 43°.
How much snow does Benson get?
About 1.2 inches in a normal winter at Tombstone, AZ, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Benson?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 67°. About 130 days a year reach 90° and 34 reach 100° (Benson 6se, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Benson?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 202 frost-free days, at Benson 6se, AZ.
What growing zone is Benson in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Benson?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Benson getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Benson.
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.