April brings 28°C daytime highs, 5mm of precipitation across about 1 wet days and 12.9 hours of daylight — best for beach days, swimming and reliable sunshine. The strongest run of the year is March to May. August is the quietest month: hot and slow-paced, and still good for beach days, swimming and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Scottsdale. Month ratings compare months within Scottsdale only — they are not a ranking of Scottsdale against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | April — Beach days, Swimming, Reliable sunshine |
| Best 3-month window | March–May |
| Quietest month | August — Hot and slow-paced |
| Driest month | June — 1mm |
| Wettest month | August — 22mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 41°C / February 20°C |
| Seasonality | Fairly even across the year |
| Annual rainfall | 193mm over roughly 28 rain days |
August gets roughly 340% more precipitation than April — 22mm against 5mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Scottsdale swings 21°C between July (41°C) and February (20°C) — the month you pick changes what you pack more than where you go.
June gives you 14.2 hours of daylight against just 9.8 in December — a 4-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
June is the driest month at 1mm across roughly 1 wet days, while August peaks at 22mm.
December is almost as good as April, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Scottsdale stays fairly consistent all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Ratings compare months within Scottsdale, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Scottsdale beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★★★☆ | 20°C / 6°C | 18mm | 4 | 5h | 10h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| February | ★★★★☆ | 20°C / 6°C | 16mm | 3 | 5h | 10.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| March | ★★★★★ | 23°C / 9°C | 18mm | 4 | 5h | 11.8h | Hiking · Cycling |
| April | ★★★★★ | 28°C / 13°C | 5mm | 1 | 9h | 12.9h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| May | ★★★★★ | 33°C / 19°C | 2mm | 1 | 10h | 13.8h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| June | ★★★★☆ | 38°C / 23°C | 1mm | 1 | 11h | 14.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| July | ★★☆☆☆ | 41°C / 26°C | 20mm | 4 | 11h | 14h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| August | ★★☆☆☆ | 41°C / 26°C | 22mm | 4 | 5h | 13.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| September | ★★☆☆☆ | 38°C / 23°C | 12mm | 2 | 5h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| October | ★★★☆☆ | 33°C / 19°C | 8mm | 2 | 4h | 11.1h | Beach days · Swimming · Low-angle light |
| November | ★★★★★ | 28°C / 13°C | 8mm | 2 | 9h | 10.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| December | ★★★★★ | 23°C / 9°C | 10mm | 2 | 8h | 9.8h | Hiking · Cycling · Low-angle light |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | April | 9h daily sunshine, 28°C highs and only 1 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | December | 23°C highs with 9.8h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | June | 11h of sun and 14.2h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | March | Scores 80/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | February | 20°C highs and 6°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Scottsdale is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
April is the best all-round month in Scottsdale: 28°C highs, 5mm of precipitation and 12.9 hours of daylight, which suits beach days, swimming and reliable sunshine. The strongest three-month window is March to May.
August — 41°C highs, 22mm of precipitation over roughly 4 days and 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for beach days, swimming and quiet and local.
June is the driest month at 1mm over about 1 rain days, against 22mm in August. Across the year Scottsdale records around 193mm.
Yes — conditions in Scottsdale stay fairly even all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Daylight ranges from 9.8 hours in December to 14.2 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.