Photo: Grand Canyon National Park Service · CC BY 2.0Tusayan’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Tusayan at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tusayan’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tusayan’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Tusayan feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 97 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 17 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Grand Canyon Np Airport, 2.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tusayan’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 43 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Grand Canyon Np 2, AZ, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tusayan
98% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Grand Canyon Np Airport.
Living with Tusayan’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
97 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 17 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 21 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tusayan from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tusayan and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tusayan yet.
Climates most like Tusayan’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tusayan, AZ | 18° | 85° | 14" | 43" |
| Los Alamos, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 42" |
| Missoula, MT | 18° | 86° | 14" | 43" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Klamath Falls, OR | 22° | 86° | 14" | 52" |
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 Tusayan averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 70% 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 Tusayan compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tusayan’s place among Arizona’s.
Tusayan weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tusayan’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Grand Canyon Np 2, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 18° | 1.4" | 12.9" | 6 | 25° – 37° |
| February | 47° | 21° | 1.3" | 7.8" | 6 | 28° – 39° |
| March | 54° | 25° | 1.4" | 8.1" | 6 | 34° – 45° |
| April | 61° | 30° | 0.7" | 2.8" | 4 | 41° – 50° |
| May | 70° | 37° | 0.6" | 0.1" | 3 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 82° | 44° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 85° | 53° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 66° – 72° |
| August | 82° | 52° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 64° – 73° |
| September | 76° | 45° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 57° – 63° |
| October | 65° | 34° | 1.2" | 1.1" | 5 | 45° – 54° |
| November | 53° | 24° | 0.7" | 2.2" | 4 | 32° – 45° |
| December | 44° | 17° | 1.0" | 8.0" | 6 | 25° – 35° |
| Year | 64° | 33° | 14.0" | 43.0" | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 45°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Tusayan’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 Tusayan’s center.
- Snow: Grand Canyon Np 2, AZ.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grand Canyon Np Airport, 2.1 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 Tusayan’s climate
What is the weather like in Tusayan?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tusayan in winter?
December nights average 17°. About 226 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Tusayan get?
About 43 inches in a normal winter at Grand Canyon Np 2, AZ, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Tusayan?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 53°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Grand Canyon Np Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Tusayan?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 17 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 97 frost-free days, at Grand Canyon Np Airport.
What growing zone is Tusayan in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tusayan?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Tusayan getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tusayan.
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.