Photo: zeesstof from The Woodlands, TX, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Superior reaches 100° on about 36 days a year, more than 98% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 101°, a January night drops to 39°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Superior at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Superior’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Superior’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Superior feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 36 days a year reach 100°
And 129 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Superior, AZ, 2.5 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Superior’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 28°. 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 15 inches of rain a year
August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 49 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.3" in a normal year at Superior, AZ, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Superior
30% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. Months averaging under 55° run from December through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Superior, AZ.
Living with Superior’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: 36 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: February, March, April and November. 56 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Superior from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Superior and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Superior yet.
Climates most like Superior’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior, AZ | 39° | 101° | 15" | 0.3" |
| Hillcrest, CA | 40° | 100° | 10" | 0.1" |
| Eagle Pass, TX | 41° | 98° | 19" | 0.0" |
| Washington, UT | 32° | 102° | 11" | 1.2" |
| Summerlin South, NV | 35° | 102° | 5" | 0.2" |
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 Superior averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 80% 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 Superior compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Superior’s place among Arizona’s.
Superior weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Superior’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Superior, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 39° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| February | 66° | 41° | 1.9" | 0.3" | 6 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| March | 73° | 45° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 51° – 66° |
| April | 81° | 50° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| May | 90° | 58° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| June | 100° | 68° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 78° – 87° |
| July | 101° | 74° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 85° – 90° |
| August | 99° | 73° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 83° – 90° |
| September | 95° | 68° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 77° – 84° |
| October | 85° | 56° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| November | 72° | 46° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 50° – 65° |
| December | 62° | 39° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 47° – 54° |
| Year | 82° | 55° | 15.0" | 0.3" | 49 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 51° to 66°. July is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Superior’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 Superior’s center.
- Snow: Superior, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Superior, AZ, 2.5 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher; 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 Superior’s climate
What is the weather like in Superior?
A typical July afternoon reaches 101°, a January night drops to 39°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 111 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Superior in winter?
December nights average 39°. About 3 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 47°.
How much snow does Superior get?
About 0.3 inches in a normal winter at Superior, AZ, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Superior?
July, with a typical high of 101° and a low of 74°. About 129 days a year reach 90° and 36 reach 100° (Superior, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Superior?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 77% of winters at Superior, AZ, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Superior in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 28°.
What is the best time of year to visit Superior?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), February, March, April and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Superior getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Superior.
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.