Photo: PhillipC at Flickr · CC BY 2.0Sunsites reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 30°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 66°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 95% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from December to February, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Sunsites at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sunsites’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sunsites’ place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Sunsites feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 200 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by November 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pearce - Sunsites, AZ, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sunsites’ center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 14°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pearce - Sunsites, AZ, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; August is the wettest month and April the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 55 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sunsites
64% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Pearce - Sunsites, AZ.
Living with Sunsites’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
200 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 14 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sunsites from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sunsites and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sunsites yet.
Climates most like Sunsites’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunsites, AZ | 30° | 94° | 12" | 1.2" |
| Hobbs, NM | 28° | 94° | 14" | 1.8" |
| Andrews, TX | 30° | 95° | 15" | 1.7" |
| Hermiston, OR | 29° | 91° | 9" | 3.7" |
| Finley, WA | 29° | 91° | 9" | 2.0" |
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 Sunsites averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.3°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Sunsites compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sunsites’ place among Arizona’s.
Sunsites weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sunsites’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pearce - Sunsites, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 30° | 0.8" | 0.7" | 4 | 0 | 41° – 49° |
| February | 64° | 33° | 0.8" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| March | 70° | 37° | 0.6" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| April | 77° | 42° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| May | 86° | 50° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| June | 95° | 60° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| July | 94° | 65° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 76° – 82° |
| August | 91° | 64° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| September | 88° | 58° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| October | 80° | 46° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 60° – 67° |
| November | 69° | 36° | 0.6" | 0.2" | 3 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| December | 60° | 30° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 40° – 49° |
| Year | 78° | 46° | 12.4" | 1.2" | 55 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 45° to 60°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Sunsites’ 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 Sunsites’ center.
- Snow: Pearce - Sunsites, AZ (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pearce - Sunsites, AZ, 0.4 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 Sunsites’ climate
What is the weather like in Sunsites?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sunsites in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 83 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 41°.
How much snow does Sunsites get?
About 1.2 inches in a normal winter at Pearce - Sunsites, AZ, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 0 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sunsites?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 65°. About 94 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Pearce - Sunsites, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Sunsites?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by November 2, about 200 frost-free days, at Pearce - Sunsites, AZ.
What growing zone is Sunsites in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sunsites?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sunsites getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sunsites.
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.