Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0Shumway is among the driest of U.S. towns: 11 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 90°. The wettest month is August; the driest is June. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 75% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 11, with the first autumn frost due around October 10.
A year in Shumway at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shumway’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shumway’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Shumway feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 149 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Snowflake, AZ, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shumway’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 2°. 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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Snowflake, AZ, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 53 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shumway
87% 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 Snowflake, AZ.
Living with Shumway’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
149 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 11 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shumway from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shumway and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Shumway yet.
Climates most like Shumway’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shumway, AZ | 19° | 90° | 11" | 13" |
| Española, NM | 17° | 90° | 11" | 11" |
| Johnson Lane, NV | 22° | 91° | 10" | 14" |
| Richfield, UT | 16° | 90° | 11" | 18" |
| Rupert, ID | 20° | 89° | 10" | 21" |
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 Shumway averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Shumway compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shumway’s place among Arizona’s.
Shumway weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shumway’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Snowflake, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 19° | 0.9" | 2.3" | 4 | 3 | 25° – 39° |
| February | 54° | 23° | 0.8" | 2.0" | 4 | 1 | 32° – 44° |
| March | 61° | 28° | 0.7" | 2.1" | 4 | 1 | 39° – 49° |
| April | 69° | 33° | 0.4" | 0.5" | 3 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| May | 77° | 40° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| June | 88° | 48° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| July | 90° | 57° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 76° |
| August | 87° | 55° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 82° | 48° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| October | 71° | 36° | 0.9" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 50° – 58° |
| November | 59° | 26° | 0.8" | 1.2" | 4 | 0 | 35° – 51° |
| December | 48° | 19° | 0.9" | 4.5" | 4 | 4 | 28° – 39° |
| Year | 70° | 36° | 11.4" | 12.9" | 53 | 8 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Shumway’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 Shumway’s center.
- Snow: Snowflake, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Snowflake, 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 Shumway’s climate
What is the weather like in Shumway?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shumway in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 149 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Shumway get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Snowflake, AZ, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Shumway?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 57°. About 48 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Snowflake, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Shumway?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 149 frost-free days, at Snowflake, AZ.
What growing zone is Shumway in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shumway?
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 Shumway getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shumway.
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.