Photo: Alan Levine from Strawberry, United States · CC BY 2.0Precipitation in Strawberry trails that of 87% of U.S. towns: 25 inches a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 88°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 69% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 2.3° higher. Garden planting can start around May 31; autumn frost returns near October 2.
A year in Strawberry at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Strawberry’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Strawberry’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Strawberry feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 126 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from Blue Ridge Rs, AZ, 23 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Strawberry’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 12°. 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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Irving, AZ, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; February is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 61 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Strawberry
96% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Blue Ridge Rs, AZ.
Living with Strawberry’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
126 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by May 31 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October. 3.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Strawberry from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Strawberry and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Strawberry yet.
Climates most like Strawberry’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberry, AZ | 28° | 88° | 25" | 1.6" |
| Ashland, OR | 31° | 91° | 19" | 0.5" |
| Alpine, TX | 30° | 90° | 15" | 2.2" |
| Walla Walla, WA | 30° | 91° | 16" | 9.0" |
| Yreka, CA | 29° | 91° | 20" | 12" |
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 Strawberry averaged 2.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 98% 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 Strawberry compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Strawberry’s place among Arizona’s.
Strawberry weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Strawberry’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Irving, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 28° | 3.1" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 35° – 45° |
| February | 53° | 29° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 35° – 48° |
| March | 59° | 33° | 2.5" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 39° – 52° |
| April | 65° | 37° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 44° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| June | 85° | 53° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 88° | 60° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 71° – 77° |
| August | 85° | 59° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 80° | 53° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 69° |
| October | 70° | 43° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| November | 59° | 34° | 1.7" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 39° – 54° |
| December | 51° | 28° | 2.8" | 0.6" | 5 | 0 | 36° – 45° |
| Year | 68° | 42° | 24.5" | 1.6" | 61 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 39° to 54°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Strawberry’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 Strawberry’s center.
- Snow: Irving, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Blue Ridge Rs, AZ, 23 miles from the town’s center, 810 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 Strawberry’s climate
What is the weather like in Strawberry?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Strawberry in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 189 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 35°.
How much snow does Strawberry get?
About 1.6 inches in a normal winter at Irving, AZ, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Strawberry?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 60°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Blue Ridge Rs, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Strawberry?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 31 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 126 frost-free days, at Blue Ridge Rs, AZ.
What growing zone is Strawberry in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Strawberry?
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 Strawberry getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Strawberry.
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.