Photo: Cbl62 · CC BY-SA 3.0Yuma reaches 100° on about 118 days a year, more than all but 26 U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 44° on average. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on almost every U.S. town. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 2.3° above 1901–2000. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from November to March, with highs of 68–81°.
A year in Yuma at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Yuma’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Yuma’s place in Arizona beside it.
What a year in Yuma feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 118 days a year reach 100°
And 181 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from Yuma Mcas, AZ, Yuma’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 11 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Yuma’s center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 34°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 3 inches of rain a year
December is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 17 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Yuma Mcas, AZ, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Yuma
13% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. No month averages under 55°.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Yuma Mcas, AZ.
Living with Yuma’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 1 winter in 12, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 118 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, November and December. 52 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Yuma from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Yuma and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Yuma in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Yuma’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuma, AZ | 44° | 107° | 3" | 0.0" |
| Boulder City, NV | 41° | 106° | 4" | 0.0" |
| Desert Hot Springs, CA | 42° | 105° | 7" | 0.8" |
| St. George, UT | 33° | 103° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Laredo, TX | 45° | 99° | 20" | 0.1" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Yuma averaged 2.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.0°).
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. In a city of 105,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Yuma compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Yuma’s place among Arizona’s.
Yuma weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Yuma’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Yuma Mcas, AZ. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 70° | 44° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| February | 74° | 46° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| March | 81° | 51° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| April | 87° | 56° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| May | 95° | 63° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 73° – 85° |
| June | 104° | 71° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 82° – 91° |
| July | 107° | 79° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 89° – 96° |
| August | 107° | 80° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 91° – 97° |
| September | 102° | 74° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 85° – 91° |
| October | 91° | 61° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| November | 79° | 50° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| December | 68° | 43° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 52° – 59° |
| Year | 89° | 60° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 60° to 73°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Yuma’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 Yuma’s center.
- Snow: Yuma Mcas, AZ (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Yuma Mcas, AZ, 11 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Yuma’s climate
What is the weather like in Yuma?
A typical July afternoon reaches 107°, a January night drops to 44°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 25 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Yuma in winter?
December nights average 43°. A night at 32° or below comes in only some winters (0.1 a year on average). In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 52°.
How much snow does Yuma get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Yuma Mcas, AZ, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Yuma?
July, with a typical high of 107° and a low of 79°. About 181 days a year reach 90° and 118 reach 100° (Yuma Mcas, AZ).
When is the first and last frost in Yuma?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 8% of winters at Yuma Mcas, AZ, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Yuma in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 34°.
What is the best time of year to visit Yuma?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Yuma 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 Yuma.
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.