Photo: Chad Johnson · CC BY 2.0Dry weather: only 15 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Bisbee, less than in 93% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 90°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 79% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 7, with the first autumn frost due around November 9.
A year in Bisbee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bisbee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bisbee’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Bisbee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 213 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 7 and the first by November 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Coronado Nmem, AZ, 19 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bisbee’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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bisbee 1wnw, AZ, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; August is the wettest month and May the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 60 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bisbee
67% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Coronado Nmem, AZ.
Living with Bisbee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
213 frost-free days in zone 8b. 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, October and November. 11 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bisbee from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bisbee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bisbee yet.
Climates most like Bisbee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bisbee, AZ | 34° | 90° | 15" | 3.3" |
| Alpine, TX | 30° | 90° | 15" | 2.2" |
| College Place, WA | 30° | 91° | 15" | 7.2" |
| Talent, OR | 31° | 92° | 19" | 3.6" |
| El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), CA | 36° | 91° | 16" | 0.0" |
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 Bisbee averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Bisbee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bisbee’s place among Arizona’s.
Bisbee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bisbee’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bisbee 1wnw, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 34° | 1.0" | 1.4" | 5 | 0 | 42° – 51° |
| February | 63° | 37° | 0.9" | 0.4" | 5 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| March | 69° | 42° | 0.6" | 0.6" | 3 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| April | 76° | 47° | 0.2" | 0.1" | 1 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| May | 84° | 54° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| June | 93° | 64° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| July | 90° | 67° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 75° – 82° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 74° – 83° |
| September | 86° | 62° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 76° |
| October | 79° | 51° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| November | 68° | 40° | 0.7" | 0.2" | 3 | 0 | 47° – 62° |
| December | 60° | 34° | 1.0" | 0.6" | 4 | 1 | 42° – 51° |
| Year | 76° | 50° | 14.6" | 3.3" | 60 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 47° to 62°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Bisbee’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 Bisbee’s center.
- Snow: Bisbee 1wnw, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Coronado Nmem, AZ, 19 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher; 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 Bisbee’s climate
What is the weather like in Bisbee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 34°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 79% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bisbee in winter?
December nights average 34°. About 54 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 42°.
How much snow does Bisbee get?
About 3.3 inches in a normal winter at Bisbee 1wnw, AZ, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bisbee?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 67°. About 53 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Coronado Nmem, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Bisbee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 7 and the first fall frost by November 9, about 213 frost-free days, at Coronado Nmem, AZ.
What growing zone is Bisbee 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 Bisbee?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bisbee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bisbee.
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.