Photo: The original uploader was Arizona86002 at Navajo Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 1.0Shonto is among the driest of U.S. towns: 10 inches of precipitation a year
Midwinter brings lows of about 18°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 71% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Shonto at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shonto’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shonto’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Shonto feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 7 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from Betatakin, AZ, 9 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shonto’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Betatakin, AZ, is heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month. 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 50 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shonto
90% 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 Betatakin, AZ.
Living with Shonto’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 7 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 6.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shonto from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shonto and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Shonto yet.
Climates most like Shonto’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shonto, AZ | 18° | 89° | 10" | 36" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 39" |
| Wellington, CO | 16° | 88° | 14" | 34" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
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 Shonto averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 57% 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 Shonto compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shonto’s place among Arizona’s.
Shonto weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shonto’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Betatakin, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 18° | 1.0" | 8.3" | 5 | 24° – 36° |
| February | 46° | 22° | 0.9" | 9.1" | 5 | 28° – 41° |
| March | 55° | 29° | 0.8" | 3.7" | 4 | 36° – 48° |
| April | 63° | 34° | 0.5" | 3.3" | 3 | 43° – 54° |
| May | 72° | 42° | 0.5" | 0.4" | 3 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 84° | 51° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 61° – 72° |
| July | 89° | 58° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 69° – 78° |
| August | 86° | 57° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 79° | 49° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 57° – 68° |
| October | 66° | 37° | 0.9" | 0.3" | 4 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 52° | 26° | 0.6" | 3.2" | 3 | 30° – 46° |
| December | 41° | 17° | 0.7" | 7.2" | 4 | 24° – 34° |
| Year | 64° | 37° | 9.8" | 35.5" | 50 |
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 46°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Shonto’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 Shonto’s center.
- Snow: Betatakin, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Betatakin, AZ, 9 miles from the town’s center, 840 ft higher; 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 Shonto’s climate
What is the weather like in Shonto?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shonto in winter?
December nights average 17°. About 139 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Shonto get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Betatakin, AZ, heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Shonto?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 58°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Betatakin, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Shonto?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 7 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 159 frost-free days, at Betatakin, AZ.
What growing zone is Shonto in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shonto?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Shonto getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shonto.
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.