Photo: SearchNet Media from Tucson, Arizona, USA · CC BY 2.0Flagstaff gets about 90 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 90 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Flagstaff at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Flagstaff’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Flagstaff’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Flagstaff feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 115 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 4 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Flagstaff’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 90 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 20 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Flagstaff
98% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport.
Living with Flagstaff’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
115 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 4 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 329 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Flagstaff from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (77%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Flagstaff and its neighbors
Fort Valley has the coldest January nights next door (15°, 1° colder) and Doney Park the hottest July afternoons (86°, 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 Flagstaff’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Bozeman, MT | 13° | 83° | 17" | 91" |
| Ranchettes, WY | 16° | 85° | 16" | 65" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| Monument, CO | 14° | 83° | 22" | 121" |
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 Flagstaff averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
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 Flagstaff compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Flagstaff’s place among Arizona’s.
Flagstaff weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Flagstaff’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Flagstaff Pulliam Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 16° | 1.8" | 20.9" | 7 | 20 | 24° – 37° |
| February | 48° | 18° | 1.8" | 19.3" | 8 | 14 | 28° – 40° |
| March | 54° | 23° | 1.6" | 15.6" | 7 | 7 | 32° – 44° |
| April | 61° | 27° | 0.8" | 5.0" | 5 | 1 | 38° – 49° |
| May | 70° | 34° | 0.7" | 1.1" | 5 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 81° | 41° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| July | 84° | 50° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| August | 81° | 49° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| September | 76° | 41° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 61° |
| October | 65° | 30° | 1.2" | 1.5" | 5 | 0 | 44° – 53° |
| November | 54° | 22° | 1.2" | 8.2" | 4 | 4 | 30° – 45° |
| December | 45° | 15° | 1.5" | 18.5" | 7 | 16 | 24° – 35° |
| Year | 64° | 30° | 18.1" | 90.1" | 82 | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 45°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Flagstaff’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 Flagstaff’s center.
- Snow: Flagstaff Pulliam Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, 4 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Flagstaff’s climate
What is the weather like in Flagstaff?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 90 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Flagstaff in winter?
December nights average 15°. About 202 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Flagstaff get?
About 90 inches in a normal winter at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 20 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 62 days a year.
How hot does it get in Flagstaff?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 50°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Flagstaff Pulliam Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Flagstaff?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 4 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 115 frost-free days, at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport.
What growing zone is Flagstaff in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Flagstaff?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Flagstaff 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 Flagstaff.
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.