Photo: The original uploader was Tillman at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.0Sanders is among the driest of U.S. towns: 10 inches of precipitation a year
Nights in January average 18°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 74% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.4° higher. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Sanders at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sanders’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sanders’ place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Sanders feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 138 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 22 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sanders, AZ, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sanders’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sanders, AZ, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 30 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sanders
89% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Sanders, AZ.
Living with Sanders’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
138 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 22 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: September. 5.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sanders from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sanders and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sanders yet.
Climates most like Sanders’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanders, AZ | 18° | 89° | 10" | 3.6" |
| Española, NM | 17° | 90° | 11" | 11" |
| Price, UT | 14° | 92° | 9" | 8.7" |
| Spanish Springs, NV | 25° | 91° | 10" | 6.8" |
| Blackfoot, ID | 16° | 88° | 11" | 15" |
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 Sanders averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Sanders compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sanders’ place among Arizona’s.
Sanders weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sanders’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sanders, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 18° | 1.0" | 0.8" | 3 | 0 | 25° – 40° |
| February | 51° | 21° | 0.8" | 0.7" | 2 | 0 | 32° – 42° |
| March | 60° | 26° | 0.8" | 0.7" | 3 | 0 | 38° – 47° |
| April | 67° | 31° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 45° – 53° |
| May | 76° | 39° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| June | 87° | 47° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 89° | 56° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| August | 87° | 55° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 69° – 75° |
| September | 81° | 48° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| October | 70° | 35° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 49° – 57° |
| November | 57° | 25° | 0.7" | 0.3" | 2 | 0 | 34° – 47° |
| December | 46° | 17° | 0.8" | 1.1" | 2 | 0 | 25° – 38° |
| Year | 68° | 35° | 9.7" | 3.6" | 30 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Sanders’ 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 Sanders’ center.
- Snow: Sanders, AZ (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sanders, AZ, 1.1 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 Sanders’ climate
What is the weather like in Sanders?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sanders in winter?
December nights average 17°. About 159 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Sanders get?
About 3.6 inches in a normal winter at Sanders, AZ, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sanders?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 56°. About 52 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Sanders, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Sanders?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 22 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 138 frost-free days, at Sanders, AZ.
What growing zone is Sanders in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sanders?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sanders getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sanders.
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.