Katherine reaches 100° on about 121 days a year, more than all but 13 U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 44° on average. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 67°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on almost every U.S. town. Long walks are most pleasant from November to March, when afternoons reach 63–78°.
A year in Katherine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Katherine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Katherine’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Katherine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 121 days a year reach 100°
And 173 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Laughlin, NV, 4 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Katherine’s 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.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 5 inches of rain a year
February is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 21 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Laughlin, NV, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Katherine
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 Laughlin, NV.
Living with Katherine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 6 winters in 10, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 121 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. 3.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Katherine from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Katherine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Katherine yet.
Climates most like Katherine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katherine, AZ | 44° | 110° | 5" | 0.0" |
| Calipatria, CA | 44° | 109° | 3" | 0.0" |
| Laredo, TX | 45° | 99° | 20" | 0.1" |
| Sunland Park, NM | 32° | 96° | 9" | 2.0" |
| Moab, UT | 20° | 98° | 8" | 9.3" |
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 Katherine averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 64% 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 Katherine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Katherine’s place among Arizona’s.
Katherine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Katherine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Laughlin, NV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 65° | 44° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| February | 69° | 46° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 50° – 64° |
| March | 78° | 51° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 57° – 72° |
| April | 86° | 57° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| May | 95° | 66° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 74° – 86° |
| June | 106° | 74° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 84° – 95° |
| July | 110° | 81° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 91° – 98° |
| August | 108° | 81° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 90° – 98° |
| September | 101° | 73° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 84° – 90° |
| October | 88° | 60° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| November | 74° | 49° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| December | 63° | 43° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| Year | 87° | 60° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 21 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 57° to 72°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Katherine’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 Katherine’s center.
- Snow: Laughlin, NV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Laughlin, NV, 4 miles from the town’s center, 170 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 Katherine’s climate
What is the weather like in Katherine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 110°, a January night drops to 44°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 5 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Katherine in winter?
December nights average 43°. About 3 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 49°.
How much snow does Katherine get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Laughlin, NV, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Katherine?
July, with a typical high of 110° and a low of 81°. About 173 days a year reach 90° and 121 reach 100° (Laughlin, NV).
When is the first and last frost in Katherine?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 61% of winters at Laughlin, NV, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Katherine 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 Katherine?
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 Katherine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Katherine.
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.