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Cottonwood weather in numbers
from 30 years of measured normals
Cottonwood swings 67°F across the year, from 97°F highs in July to 30°F lows in December, and August is usually the wettest month in a year that brings about 14 in of precipitation.
Warmest month
July
97°F average high
Coldest month
December
30°F average low
Wettest month
August
14 in a year
Below freezing
1 month
December
Comfortable
4 months
March, April, October and November
Residents
12,000
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The weather map: all three models at once
NWS, American, European side by side around Cottonwood and nearby towns.Live rain radar →
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Cottonwood hourly forecast: next 14 hours
consensus of the three models
Rain in the next 24 hours, model by model
each model's own hourly precipitation, side by side
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Cottonwood 10-day forecast, out to 14 days
where the models agree, and where they split
Cottonwood, Arizona (AZ) is at its warmest in Jul (average highs near 97°F) and coldest in Dec (lows around 30°F), with roughly 14 in of precipitation across the year. Below, compare what NWS, American, European forecast for Cottonwood right now, and see exactly where they disagree.
average daytime high and overnight low across a typical year (1991-2020)
Jan
54°
34°
Feb
59°
36°
Mar
64°
42°
Apr
75°
44°
May
84°
55°
Jun
94°
65°
Jul
97°
69°
Aug
93°
69°
Sep
89°
62°
Oct
77°
49°
Nov
65°
40°
Dec
55°
30°
Source: 1991-2020 averages, ERA5 for this place adjusted with NASA POWER.
How Cottonwood's weather has changed since 1995
30 years of daily data, 1995-2024, shown as change
+1.4°F
Around Cottonwood, 2015-2024 averaged 1.4°F warmer than 1995-2004. 6 of the 10 warmest years since 1995 fall in the last ten, and the warmest was 2024.
1995each stripe is one year2024
cooler than averagearound averagewarmer than average
Days above 95°F
10 more days a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004. Within the normal year-to-year swing
Frost nights
17 fewer nights a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004, below 32°F
Average wind
−1%
2015-2024 against 1995-2004. Within the normal year-to-year swing
Bars: each year against the area's 30-year average. Dashed lines: the average of the first and the last ten years.
See the numbers year by year
Year
Temp vs average
Days >95°F vs avg
Frost nights vs avg
Wind vs avg
1995
−1.1°F
−9
−1
−3%
1996
+0.1°F
+3
+1
+0%
1997
−0.9°F
−11
+15
+3%
1998
−2.7°F
−8
+20
+0%
1999
−0.6°F
−21
+7
+3%
2000
+0.3°F
+12
+6
+0%
2001
±0.0°F
−1
+23
−3%
2002
+0.5°F
+15
−0
+3%
2003
+0.7°F
+15
−5
−3%
2004
−0.8°F
−8
−1
+3%
2005
−0.9°F
−19
−13
−3%
2006
−0.4°F
−12
−1
+0%
2007
+0.3°F
+3
+14
+0%
2008
−1.5°F
−7
+11
+0%
2009
−0.6°F
−3
+15
+0%
2010
−1.7°F
−3
+10
+0%
2011
−1.1°F
+6
+18
+6%
2012
+1.0°F
−7
+4
−3%
2013
−1.1°F
−9
+18
+3%
2014
+0.9°F
−19
−24
−3%
2015
+0.3°F
−8
−11
−3%
2016
+0.9°F
−3
−15
+0%
2017
+1.8°F
−5
−31
+0%
2018
+1.4°F
+10
−16
−3%
2019
−0.8°F
+9
−2
+3%
2020
+1.8°F
+31
−3
+3%
2021
+1.2°F
+2
−10
−3%
2022
+0.5°F
+4
+2
+0%
2023
+0.1°F
+8
+3
+3%
2024
+2.5°F
+43
−21
−3%
Source: NASA POWER daily data from the MERRA-2 reanalysis, 1995-2024. Each value describes a grid square of about 50 km around Cottonwood, not a weather station, and a square that takes in sea or a large lake runs milder than the city itself. That is why this section shows change against the square's own 30-year average rather than counts you could compare with a local station. Rain and snow are left out because their long-term record in this dataset is not consistent over time. "Within the normal year-to-year swing" means the change is smaller than the usual differences between single years.
Which forecast is most accurate in the US?
CheckWeather Score, graded against the weather that actually happened
Provider
CheckWeather-score
Temp
Wind
Rain
Run by
European ★ Best
93
/100rank #1
91±0.9°F
97±1.1 mph
9396% hit
ECMWF - European Centre for Medium-Range Weather ForecastsReading, United Kingdom
American
82
/100rank #2
83±1.7°F
94±2.0 mph
7184% hit
NOAA / NCEP (United States)College Park, Maryland, USA
The accuracy above is the measured record. This is your opinion: which forecast service do you trust most in United States? Give each 1 to 5 stars.
NWSNational Blend (NBM)
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Common questions
What's the weather in Cottonwood today?
On this page we show what NWS, American, European each forecast for Cottonwood today, side by side and updated live. When all three agree the forecast is reliable; when they split, we flag it so you know the day is genuinely less certain.
Will it rain in Cottonwood today or tomorrow?
Check the hourly strip and 7-day forecast above. We compare rain from NWS, American, European for Cottonwood and flag the days where the models disagree on whether showers actually arrive, which is exactly when a single app can catch you out.
Which forecast is most accurate for Cottonwood?
No single model is always right. NWS, American, European each run their own physics, so we line all three up: when they agree the Cottonwood forecast is reliable, and when they split you should expect surprises. See our tested US accuracy scoreboard for how the models compare.
What is the warmest month in Cottonwood?
July is typically the warmest month in Cottonwood, with average highs around 97°F.
How cold does Cottonwood get?
The coldest month in Cottonwood is December, when overnight lows average about 30°F.
How much rain does Cottonwood get?
Cottonwood sees roughly 14 in of precipitation a year, with August usually the wettest month.
Is Cottonwood getting warmer?
Yes. In NASA's reanalysis for the area around Cottonwood, 2015-2024 averaged 1.4°F warmer than 1995-2004.
