Surprise, Arizona Weather
Ocotillo stands sentinel. Day 50 of autumn. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Surprise weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 2:29 PM MST · Open-Meteo
- TodayNov 10Clear——80°56°—
- WednesdayNov 11Clear——83°56°+3°
- ThursdayNov 12Clear——80°57°-3°
- FridayNov 13Light Drizzle18%—73°61°-7°
- SaturdayNov 14Light Drizzle33%0.01″67°59°-6°
- SundayNov 15Overcast——68°58°+1°
- MondayNov 16Overcast37%—71°59°+3°
Air quality now AQI 57 · Moderate
AQI 57 (Moderate), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). Ozone at AQI 55 now. With UV 2.9 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 21.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 55 now. With UV 2.9 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 21.
- Present
- AQI 55
- UV peak
- 2.9 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 21
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 6.6 µg/m³, PM10 at 15.5 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.43
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
When the wind is in the west, the weather is at its best.
- Moonrise
- 8:32 AM
- Moonset
- 5:39 PM
- In sign
- ♐︎ Sagittarius
Ocotillo stands sentinel
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Surprise at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 68°F (high 80°F, low 56°F), 6°F above the 62°F normal for Nov 10
- Last frost: February 5 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 13 km away)
- Microseason: Nov 6–10
- Planting calendar: November — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Surprise
- Tue80°56°0%
- Wed83°56°0%
- Thu80°57°0%
- Fri73°61°18%
- Sat67°59°33%
- Sun68°58°5%
- Mon71°59°37%
- Tue66°56°48%
- Wed63°53°12%
- Thu64°53°13%
- Fri64°51°21%
- Sat63°48°11%
- Sun60°45°6%
- Mon65°50°13%
- Tue70°54°3%
- Wed71°57°3%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Surprise
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Surprise — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of November 10, the season's first frost (typically December 11) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for November: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
Sun & seasons in Surprise
Surprise sits in Maricopa County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 24m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 55m — a swing of +4h 29m between the June and December solstices.
Phoenix, the state’s largest city, lies about 22 miles to the ESE. The nearest town Surprise tracks is Peoria, roughly 11 miles to the NE.
Air quality in Surprise
Air quality in Surprise’s county has trended cleaner since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2023 (median AQI 72). See the full air-quality history for Surprise.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | fall brassicas, carrots |
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| March | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach |
| May | squash | peas, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| June | squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| July | beans, squash | tomatoes, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | summer squash, winter squash |
| September | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | summer squash, winter squash |
| October | — | peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| December | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
The year in Surprise tops out in July (~91°F) and dips lowest in December (~52°F), with February wettest at 1.4 inches and June driest at 0.1 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 1.4″ | 2 |
| February | 55° | 1.4″ | 3 |
| March | 60° | 1.0″ | 1 |
| April | 66° | 0.3″ | 1 |
| May | 76° | 0.1″ | 0 |
| June | 86° | 0.1″ | 0 |
| July | 91° | 0.9″ | 3 |
| August | 90° | 1.1″ | 3 |
| September | 84° | 1.1″ | 2 |
| October | 72° | 0.7″ | 1 |
| November | 60° | 0.7″ | 2 |
| December | 52° | 0.9″ | 2 |
Regional context
Similar climates Sun City West, AZ, Wittmann, AZ, El Mirage, AZ
Drawing on NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Surprise's January averages 52°F and July 91°F — 39°F apart — while precipitation totals roughly 9.6 inches over some 19 days.
Cool-season fronts carry Surprise's rain: February logs 1.4 inches on 2.7 days, against June's 0.1 inches on 0.1 — winter does the heavy lifting in Surprise. It is a winter-storm rhythm Surprise shares with places like Sun City West, AZ, Wittmann, AZ and El Mirage, AZ.
The cool-season window in Surprise starts at February 5, when nights stop freezing — think lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens. Warm-soil crops in Surprise wait about two weeks past Surprise's last frost, once the soil warms. Around December 11, freezing nights resume in Surprise and tender crops must come in. In about half of years, Surprise's last freeze comes after February 5.
Similar climates: Sun City West, AZ, Wittmann, AZ, El Mirage, AZ, Citrus Park, AZ, Sun City, AZ.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Surprise?
- Frost typically leaves Surprise by February 5 and returns to Surprise near December 11.
- What is the rainy season in Surprise?
- Surprise sees its heaviest rain in February (around 1.4 inches), part of roughly 10 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Surprise?
- The warmest stretch in Surprise comes in July, around 91°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Surprise?
- On average December is the chilliest month in Surprise, about 52°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Surprise?
- Time tomatoes in Surprise for two weeks after February 5; peas and greens start at Surprise's frost line.
- How many rainy days does Surprise get?
- Surprise averages about 19 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Surprise?
- Surprise's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with December near 52°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Surprise?
- Surprise's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Surprise?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Surprise in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Surprise?
- Current conditions for Surprise and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Surprise forecast updated?
- The Surprise forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Surprise?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Surprise are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Surprise?
- The next few days in Surprise's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Surprise sits at 33.7°N; its climate zone is hot desert (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Surprise
- 85361
- 85374
- 85378
- 85379
- 85387
- 85388