Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0Cottonwood reaches 100° on about 51 days a year, more than all but 143 U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 31°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 94% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.8° above 1901–2000. If you like long walks, April and October offer highs of 77–81°.
A year in Cottonwood at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cottonwood’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cottonwood’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Cottonwood feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 223 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 30 and the first by November 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tuzigoot, AZ, 2.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cottonwood’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 17°. 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 Tuzigoot, 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 53 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cottonwood
55% 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 Tuzigoot, AZ.
Living with Cottonwood’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
223 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 30 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April and October. 67 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cottonwood from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (83%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cottonwood and its neighbors
Camp Verde the hottest July afternoons (101°, 2° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cottonwood’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood, AZ | 31° | 99° | 14" | 1.0" |
| Ivins, UT | 32° | 100° | 11" | 1.2" |
| Monahans, TX | 30° | 98° | 12" | 0.7" |
| Carlsbad, NM | 29° | 97° | 13" | 2.7" |
| Rosamond, CA | 33° | 98° | 8" | 1.2" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Cottonwood averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.2°).
A bigger shift than in 82% 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 Cottonwood compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cottonwood’s place among Arizona’s.
Cottonwood weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cottonwood’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tuzigoot, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 31° | 1.3" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 41° – 51° |
| February | 63° | 34° | 1.4" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| March | 70° | 38° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 47° – 61° |
| April | 77° | 43° | 0.5" | 0.2" | 3 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| May | 86° | 50° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| June | 97° | 59° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| July | 99° | 67° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 80° – 86° |
| August | 97° | 65° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 77° – 86° |
| September | 92° | 58° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| October | 81° | 47° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| November | 69° | 36° | 0.8" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 45° – 59° |
| December | 58° | 30° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 40° – 50° |
| Year | 79° | 46° | 13.7" | 1.0" | 53 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 47° to 61°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cottonwood’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 Cottonwood’s center.
- Snow: Tuzigoot, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tuzigoot, AZ, 2.8 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 Cottonwood’s climate
What is the weather like in Cottonwood?
A typical July afternoon reaches 99°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 145 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cottonwood in winter?
December nights average 30°. About 63 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 40°.
How much snow does Cottonwood get?
About 1.0 inches in a normal winter at Tuzigoot, AZ, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cottonwood?
July, with a typical high of 99° and a low of 67°. About 128 days a year reach 90° and 51 reach 100° (Tuzigoot, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Cottonwood?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 30 and the first fall frost by November 10, about 223 frost-free days, at Tuzigoot, AZ.
What growing zone is Cottonwood in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cottonwood?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cottonwood getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cottonwood.
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.