Rio Rico in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Rio Rico sees average daytime highs around 62°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 3.5 in of precipitation over about 13 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 62°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Rio Rico's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Rio Rico's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
62°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
38°F
Precipitation
3.5 in
13 wet days
Avg wind
6 mph
Travel score
6.4
3rd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Rio Rico in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 62°F.

A typical winter day in Rio Rico reaches about 62°F and drops to 38°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

20°40°60°80°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Rio Rico

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 18 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
18
wind chill below the day's low

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

Rio Rico 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
Jan62° / 37°1.13.70.410.26.3
Feb64° / 40°1.24.50.410.96.8
Mar69° / 44°0.83.10.311.87.9
Apr76° / 49°0.31.50.112.78.8
May85° / 56°0.21.2013.67.1
Jun92° / 65°0.32.30144.1
Jul91° / 69°3.213.5013.83.5
Aug88° / 67°2.914013.14.1
Sep86° / 64°1.56.5012.25.7
Oct79° / 54°0.72.7011.28.3
Nov69° / 44°0.72.50.110.48.1
Dec61° / 37°1.24.40.5106.1

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Rio Rico gets around 3.5 in of rain and snow over 13 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%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 6 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 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 4.0 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Rio Rico?

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.

6.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Rio Rico for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rio Rico in Winter

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

In winter, Rio Rico sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 38°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Rio Rico 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 Rio Rico peaks around June 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (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 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar7High
Apr10Very high
May10Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct7Very high
Nov5High
Dec4Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Rio Rico?

Rio Rico sits at 31.5°N, 111.0°W, 3,481 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Nogales, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Rio Rico

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rio Rico has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 604 ft around an average of 3,524 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,822 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,339 ft.

The land around Rio Rico is covered by shrubs (63%) within 2 miles, shrubs (74%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
604 ft
10 miles
2,822 ft
50 miles
7,339 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
Winter weather nearby: Nogales 9.3 mi · Nogales 11 mi · Green Valley 27 mi · Sahuarita 34 mi · Sierra Vista 40 mi · Vail 43 mi · Drexel Heights 47 mi · Tucson 52 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 Rio Rico (31.4715°, -110.9765°, elevation 3,481 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.