Santa Cruz reaches 100° on about 121 days a year, more than all but 13 U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 40°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in August and the lightest in June. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on almost every U.S. town. Garden chairs stay out from January to March and November, the months with highs of 67–78°.
A year in Santa Cruz at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Santa Cruz’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Santa Cruz’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Santa Cruz 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 180 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Laveen 3 Sse, AZ, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Santa Cruz’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 29°. 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 7 inches of rain a year
August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 24 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Laveen 3 Sse, AZ, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Santa Cruz
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 Laveen 3 Sse, AZ.
Living with Santa Cruz’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 9b. Frost comes about 8 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 and November. 4.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Santa Cruz from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Santa Cruz and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Santa Cruz yet.
Climates most like Santa Cruz’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz, AZ | 40° | 106° | 7" | 0.0" |
| Boulder City, NV | 41° | 106° | 4" | 0.0" |
| Garnet, CA | 43° | 105° | 5" | 0.0" |
| St. George, UT | 33° | 103° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Laredo, TX | 45° | 99° | 20" | 0.1" |
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 Santa Cruz averaged 2.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in June (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 97% 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 Santa Cruz compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Santa Cruz’s place among Arizona’s.
Santa Cruz weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Santa Cruz’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Laveen 3 Sse, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 40° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| February | 71° | 43° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| March | 78° | 48° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| April | 86° | 54° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| May | 95° | 63° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| June | 104° | 72° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 83° – 92° |
| July | 106° | 79° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 89° – 96° |
| August | 105° | 79° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 87° – 96° |
| September | 100° | 72° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 82° – 88° |
| October | 89° | 59° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| November | 76° | 46° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 53° – 68° |
| December | 66° | 39° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 50° – 56° |
| Year | 87° | 58° | 7.1" | 0.0" | 24 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 53° to 68°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Santa Cruz’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 Santa Cruz’s center.
- Snow: Laveen 3 Sse, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Laveen 3 Sse, AZ, 7 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 Santa Cruz’s climate
What is the weather like in Santa Cruz?
A typical July afternoon reaches 106°, a January night drops to 40°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 42 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Santa Cruz in winter?
December nights average 39°. About 6 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 50°.
How much snow does Santa Cruz get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Laveen 3 Sse, AZ, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Santa Cruz?
July, with a typical high of 106° and a low of 79°. About 180 days a year reach 90° and 121 reach 100° (Laveen 3 Sse, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Santa Cruz?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 85% of winters at Laveen 3 Sse, AZ, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Santa Cruz in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 29°.
What is the best time of year to visit Santa Cruz?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Santa Cruz getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Santa Cruz.
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.