Tonopah, Arizona Weather
Heat hardens the dust. Day 77 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Tonopah weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 3Partly Cloudy——105°70°—
- ThursdayJun 4Clear——107°72°+2°
- FridayJun 5Clear——107°70°0°
- SaturdayJun 6Overcast——104°70°-3°
- SundayJun 7Overcast——102°71°-2°
- MondayJun 8Overcast——103°67°+1°
- TuesdayJun 9Overcast——103°68°0°
Ozone at AQI 49 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. AQI up 12 over the last 6 hours (gradual rise). Levels should ease through evening.
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 49 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. Levels should ease through evening.
- Present
- AQI 49
- UV peak
- 0.5 at earlier today
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 49
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).
A summer fog for fair, a winter fog for rain.
- Moonrise
- 5:44 AM
- Moonset
- 3:56 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Heat hardens the dust
Tonopah at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 19°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: March 8 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 4, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | — |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Tonopah's warmest month is July (~95°F mean) and its coldest is December (~54°F). Rainfall peaks in July (0.9 inches) and bottoms out in June (0.0 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 0.7″ | 2 |
| February | 59° | 0.5″ | 1 |
| March | 65° | 0.6″ | 1 |
| April | 72° | 0.2″ | 1 |
| May | 80° | 0.2″ | 0 |
| June | 89° | 0.0″ | 0 |
| July | 95° | 0.9″ | 2 |
| August | 94° | 0.8″ | 2 |
| September | 88° | 0.4″ | 1 |
| October | 75° | 0.5″ | 1 |
| November | 63° | 0.6″ | 1 |
| December | 54° | 0.7″ | 1 |
Regional context
Tonopah's baseline climate, derived from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals at the nearest reporting station, swings from a January mean of 55°F to a July mean of 95°F — a 40°F seasonal arc typical of the mid-latitude bands. Annual precipitation runs about 6.1 inches spread across roughly 12 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
Rainfall stays relatively even across the calendar: July tops out at 0.9 inches across 2.1 days with measurable rain, and June settles around 0.0 inches across 0.1 rainy days — a comparatively narrow seasonal range. The balanced distribution lines Tonopah up with places like Wintersburg, AZ, Arlington, AZ and Buckeye, AZ, all of which run on overlapping storm tracks rather than a single seasonal moisture source.
Hard freezes are uncommon here: the coldest month averages 54°F, well above the freezing threshold, so the growing window stretches across most of the year. Cool-season crops can be planted in late fall through early spring, and warm-season transplants tolerate the local winter unless an unusual frontal passage drops temperatures below the 30-year normal. The hottest stretch arrives in July at a mean of 95°F, which limits cool-season vegetables to the shoulder months on either side of the summer peak. Those are 1991-2020 normals; in a given year an unusual frontal passage can drop temperatures briefly below the seasonal mean. Within Tonopah, neighborhood-scale variation — coastal proximity, elevation, tree cover, urban heat-island intensity — drives a 4-7°F spread in overnight lows that the regional average masks.
Similar climates: Wintersburg, AZ, Arlington, AZ, Buckeye, AZ, Citrus Park, AZ, Sunwest, AZ.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Tonopah?
- Tonopah's last spring frost typically falls around mid-March, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-December.
- What is the rainy season in Tonopah?
- July is the wettest month with about 0.9 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 6 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Tonopah?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 95°F.
- What is the coldest month in Tonopah?
- December is typically coldest, averaging about 54°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Tonopah?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-March); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Tonopah get?
- Tonopah averages about 12 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Tonopah?
- Tonopah's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Tonopah, Arizona sits in a hot desert climate zone. January means hover near 55°F while July averages 95°F — a 40°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Tonopah receives about 6 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 12 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (33.5°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.