Photo: Postdlf · CC BY-SA 3.0Oak Creek Canyon is drier than 88% of U.S. towns: 23 inches of precipitation a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 92° on average. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 87% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.9° rise. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Oak Creek Canyon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Oak Creek Canyon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Oak Creek Canyon’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Oak Creek Canyon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by November 5. Frost and day counts come from Oak Creek Canyon, AZ, 0.8 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Oak Creek Canyon’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 9°. 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Jerome, AZ, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; February is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Oak Creek Canyon
79% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Oak Creek Canyon, AZ.
Living with Oak Creek Canyon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
204 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 14 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October. 32 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Oak Creek Canyon from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Oak Creek Canyon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Oak Creek Canyon yet.
Climates most like Oak Creek Canyon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Creek Canyon, AZ | 29° | 92° | 23" | 6.3" |
| Eagle Point, OR | 32° | 92° | 23" | 3.4" |
| Slaton, TX | 29° | 93° | 20" | 5.0" |
| Yreka, CA | 29° | 91° | 20" | 12" |
| Walla Walla, WA | 30° | 91° | 16" | 9.0" |
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 Oak Creek Canyon averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 86% 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 Oak Creek Canyon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Oak Creek Canyon’s place among Arizona’s.
Oak Creek Canyon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Oak Creek Canyon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Jerome, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 29° | 2.9" | 1.7" | 6 | 1 | 36° – 48° |
| February | 56° | 31° | 3.0" | 1.0" | 6 | 1 | 38° – 50° |
| March | 62° | 35° | 2.7" | 1.4" | 6 | 1 | 41° – 55° |
| April | 69° | 40° | 1.1" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 48° – 59° |
| May | 78° | 47° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| June | 89° | 55° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| July | 92° | 62° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 80° |
| August | 89° | 61° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| September | 84° | 54° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 66° – 72° |
| October | 73° | 43° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| November | 61° | 34° | 1.7" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| December | 52° | 28° | 2.4" | 0.7" | 5 | 1 | 36° – 46° |
| Year | 72° | 43° | 23.2" | 6.3" | 64 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 54°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Oak Creek Canyon’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 Oak Creek Canyon’s center.
- Snow: Jerome, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Oak Creek Canyon, AZ, 0.8 miles from the town’s center, 680 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Oak Creek Canyon’s climate
What is the weather like in Oak Creek Canyon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Oak Creek Canyon in winter?
December nights average 28°. About 79 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How much snow does Oak Creek Canyon get?
About 6.3 inches in a normal winter at Jerome, AZ, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Oak Creek Canyon?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 62°. About 43 days a year reach 90° (Oak Creek Canyon, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Oak Creek Canyon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by November 5, about 204 frost-free days, at Oak Creek Canyon, AZ.
What growing zone is Oak Creek Canyon in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Oak Creek Canyon?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Oak Creek Canyon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Oak Creek Canyon.
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.