Wide Ruins, AZ climate
Wide Ruins has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Wide Ruins feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Wide Ruins weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 17° | 1.2" | 0.8" | 3 | 0 | 23° – 38° |
| February | 49° | 21° | 1.0" | 0.7" | 2 | 0 | 30° – 40° |
| March | 57° | 26° | 1.0" | 0.7" | 3 | 0 | 37° – 46° |
| April | 64° | 31° | 0.6" | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43° – 52° |
| May | 73° | 38° | 0.5" | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| June | 84° | 47° | 0.2" | 0 | 1 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 87° | 55° | 1.5" | 0 | 5 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| August | 85° | 54° | 1.6" | 0 | 5 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| September | 79° | 47° | 1.3" | 0 | 4 | 0 | 58° – 65° |
| October | 67° | 34° | 1.0" | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| November | 55° | 24° | 0.8" | 0.3" | 2 | 0 | 33° – 46° |
| December | 44° | 17° | 1.0" | 1.1" | 2 | 0 | 24° – 37° |
| Year | 66° | 34° | 11.6" | 3.6" | 30 | 1 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Wide Ruins
Wide Ruins gets 12 inches of rain and melted snow a year. August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 30 days a year.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first one by October 10. That leaves about 147 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 83% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Wide Ruins
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Wide Ruins, 91% of that work is heating and 9% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How Wide Ruins compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Wide Ruins averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°). The shift is larger than in 63% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Wide Ruins’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 23° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Wide Ruins’s climate
What is the coldest month in Wide Ruins?
December, with a typical high of 44° and a low of 17°.
What is the hottest month in Wide Ruins?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 55°. About 34 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Wide Ruins get?
About 4 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Wide Ruins?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 10, and the last spring frost by May 15.
What is the rainiest month in Wide Ruins?
August, with 1.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 12 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Wide Ruins itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Sanders, AZ (17 mi, snow) and Ganado, AZ (20 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.