Payson in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Payson sees average daytime highs around 51°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 7.8 in of precipitation over about 19 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 51°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Payson's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Payson's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
51°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
30°F
Precipitation
7.8 in
19 wet days
Avg wind
5 mph
Travel score
2.8
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Payson in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 51°F.

A typical winter day in Payson reaches about 51°F and drops to 30°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Payson

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
90
wind chill below the day's low

The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Payson weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 29°2.66.13.8102.7
Feb53° / 31°2.86.54.210.73.2
Mar58° / 34°2.26.32.811.75.0
Apr65° / 40°1.03.91.412.87.2
May74° / 48°0.63.50.113.88.4
Jun85° / 56°0.31.9014.27.0
Jul87° / 62°2.311.5014.14.8
Aug85° / 62°1.911.3013.35.3
Sep80° / 56°1.36012.27.6
Oct70° / 46°1.44.20.311.18.1
Nov59° / 36°1.64.11.310.25.5
Dec50° / 29°2.46.13.79.82.6

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Payson gets around 7.8 in of rain and snow over 19 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 5 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.6 kWh/m².

024DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Payson?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

2.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Payson.

What to pack for Payson in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Payson sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 30°F. Pack a warm layer. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Payson in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Payson peaks around June 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 12Dec 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Payson in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Payson is worst in June — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJun 1724 µg/m³Jan 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr13Moderate
May11Good
Jun26Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug9Good
Sep12Good
Oct14Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Payson?

Payson sits at 34.2°N, 111.3°W, 4,921 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fountain Hills, 48 mi away.

Topography around Payson

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Payson.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Payson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 623 ft around an average of 4,997 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,052 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,136 ft.

The land around Payson is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and shrubs (37%) within 10 miles, and trees (40%), shrubs (35%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
623 ft
10 miles
4,052 ft
50 miles
7,136 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Fountain Hills 48 mi · Sedona 50 mi · Anthem 53 mi · Apache Junction 58 mi · Scottsdale 60 mi · Deer Valley 60 mi · Prescott Valley 62 mi · Mesa 63 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Payson (34.2309°, -111.3251°, elevation 4,921 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.