Desert Hills reaches 100° on about 128 days a year, more than all but 3 U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 43°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 67° apart. Its yearly precipitation falls short of almost every U.S. town. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from November to March, with highs of 65–79°.
A year in Desert Hills at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Desert Hills’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Desert Hills’ place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Desert Hills feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 128 days a year reach 100°
And 178 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lake Havasu City, AZ, 3 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Desert Hills’ center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 32°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 4 inches of rain a year
February is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 19 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Lake Havasu City, AZ, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Desert Hills
20% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. Months averaging under 55°: December and January.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Lake Havasu City, AZ.
Living with Desert Hills’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 1 winter in 2, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 128 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, November and December.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Desert Hills from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (90%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Desert Hills and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Desert Hills yet.
Climates most like Desert Hills’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hills, AZ | 43° | 110° | 4" | 0.0" |
| Ridgecrest, CA | 34° | 103° | 4" | 0.5" |
| St. George, UT | 33° | 103° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Laredo, TX | 45° | 99° | 20" | 0.1" |
| Sunland Park, NM | 32° | 96° | 9" | 2.0" |
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 Desert Hills averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
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 Desert Hills compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Desert Hills’ place among Arizona’s.
Desert Hills weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Desert Hills’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lake Havasu City, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 43° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| February | 71° | 47° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| March | 79° | 52° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| April | 87° | 58° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| May | 96° | 68° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 76° – 88° |
| June | 106° | 76° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 86° – 96° |
| July | 110° | 83° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 93° – 99° |
| August | 109° | 83° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 92° – 100° |
| September | 103° | 75° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 86° – 92° |
| October | 90° | 62° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| November | 76° | 50° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| December | 65° | 43° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| Year | 88° | 62° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 19 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 58° to 73°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Desert Hills’ 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 Desert Hills’ center.
- Snow: Lake Havasu City, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lake Havasu City, AZ, 3 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower; 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 Desert Hills’ climate
What is the weather like in Desert Hills?
A typical July afternoon reaches 110°, a January night drops to 43°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 4 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Desert Hills in winter?
December nights average 43°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.7 a year on average). In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 50°.
How much snow does Desert Hills get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Lake Havasu City, AZ, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Desert Hills?
July, with a typical high of 110° and a low of 83°. About 178 days a year reach 90° and 128 reach 100° (Lake Havasu City, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Desert Hills?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 49% of winters at Lake Havasu City, AZ, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Desert Hills in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 32°.
What is the best time of year to visit Desert Hills?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Desert Hills 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 Desert Hills.
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.