Tucson, Arizona Weather
Thunder finally silent. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Tucson weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 7:19 AM MST · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast later——97°71°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast19%0.04″89°72°-8°
- WednesdaySep 23Drizzle16%—90°69°+1°
- ThursdaySep 24Heavy Drizzle31%0.03″92°73°+2°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——94°73°+2°
- SaturdaySep 26Partly Cloudy11%—96°80°+2°
- SundaySep 27Drizzle16%—93°77°-3°
Air quality now AQI 19 · Good
AQI 19 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI projected to climb to 37 over the next 6 hours. PM2.5 at 5.4 µg/m³ (AQI 30) with a 0.78 fine-to-coarse ratio and 6 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 7 PM.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.4 µg/m³ (AQI 30) with a 0.78 fine-to-coarse ratio and 6 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.78
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
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).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 3:38 PM
- Moonset
- 1:11 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder finally silent
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Tucson at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 84°F (high 97°F, low 71°F), 3°F above the 81°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: February 5 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 8 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots; harvest summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Tucson
- Mon97°71°3%
- Tue89°72°19%
- Wed90°69°16%
- Thu92°73°31%
- Fri94°73°9%
- Sat96°80°11%
- Sun93°77°16%
- Mon93°77°19%
- Tue94°81°19%
- Wed98°79°11%
- Thu97°81°8%
- Fri96°80°17%
- Sat93°78°10%
- Sun93°78°13%
- Mon91°79°16%
- Tue83°75°10%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Tucson
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Tucson — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of September 21, the growing season is at its peak — the first frost (around December 9) is weeks away. Fall transplants go in about 10–12 weeks before the first frost, September 16 to September 30 here. This city's planting calendar for September: plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, and carrots; harvest summer squash and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Tucson
SPC includes Tucson in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Tucson
Tucson sits in Pima County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 15m of daylight and its shortest just 10h 2m — a swing of +4h 13m between the June and December solstices.
Phoenix, the state’s largest city, lies about 121 miles to the NW. The nearest town Tucson tracks is Casas Adobes, roughly 15 miles to the NNW.
Air quality in Tucson
Air quality in Tucson’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2022 (median AQI 53). See the full air-quality history for Tucson.
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, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach |
| May | squash | beans, summer squash, garlic |
| June | squash | tomatoes, peppers, 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
Tucson's warmest month is July (~87°F mean) and its coldest is December (~51°F). Rainfall peaks in August (2.1 inches) and bottoms out in May (0.0 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 0.8″ |
| February | 54° | 1.0″ |
| March | 60° | 0.7″ |
| April | 68° | 0.3″ |
| May | 78° | 0.0″ |
| June | 87° | 0.1″ |
| July | 87° | 1.4″ |
| August | 84° | 2.1″ |
| September | 83° | 0.8″ |
| October | 73° | 0.3″ |
| November | 60° | 0.8″ |
| December | 51° | 1.4″ |
Regional context
Similar climates South Tucson, AZ, Summit, AZ, Kleindale, AZ
Tucson swings from 52°F in January to 87°F in July (36°F) per modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo); precipitation in Tucson runs about 9.7 inches.
No season owns Tucson's rain: August reaches 2.1 inches and May keeps 0.0 inches, an even spread through Tucson's year. It is a balanced pattern Tucson shares with places like South Tucson, AZ, Summit, AZ and Kleindale, AZ.
Around February 5, Tucson sheds its freezing nights — lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens go into Tucson's beds. Tomatoes and peppers do best set out two weeks later in Tucson, once nights clear the mid-40s°F. Frost returns to Tucson near December 9, ending the tender-crop season. Open lawns in Tucson whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: South Tucson, AZ, Summit, AZ, Kleindale, AZ, Drexel Heights, AZ, Catalina Foothills, AZ.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Tucson?
- Frost typically leaves Tucson by February 5 and returns to Tucson near December 9.
- What is the rainy season in Tucson?
- August is the wettest month in Tucson, about 2.1 inches on average; the year totals roughly 10 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Tucson?
- On average July tops the year in Tucson at about 87°F.
- What is the coldest month in Tucson?
- The coldest stretch in Tucson falls in December, around 51°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Tucson?
- Hardy spring crops go in near February 5 in Tucson; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- What hardiness zone is Tucson?
- Because Tucson bottoms near 51°F in December, that winter low sets Tucson's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Tucson?
- Tucson'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 Tucson?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Tucson in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Tucson?
- Current conditions for Tucson and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Tucson forecast updated?
- The Tucson forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Tucson?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Tucson 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 Tucson?
- The next few days in Tucson's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Tucson sits at 32.2°N; its climate zone is hot desert (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Tucson
- 85701
- 85702
- 85703
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- 85705
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