Tucson in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Tucson sees average daytime highs around 64°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation over about 12 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 64°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Tucson's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Tucson's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 64°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 42°F
- Precipitation
- 3.4 in
- 12 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 7.0
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Tucson in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 64°F.
A typical winter day in Tucson reaches about 64°F and drops to 42°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Tucson
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Tucson 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.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64° / 41° | 1.1 | 4 | 10.1 | 7.0 |
| Feb | 67° / 44° | 1.1 | 3.9 | 10.8 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 73° / 49° | 0.7 | 3 | 11.8 | 8.4 |
| Apr | 80° / 55° | 0.2 | 1.4 | 12.8 | 8.3 |
| May | 89° / 63° | 0.1 | 0.8 | 13.6 | 5.5 |
| Jun | 98° / 72° | 0.2 | 1.2 | 14.1 | 2.3 |
| Jul | 98° / 77° | 1.3 | 7.8 | 13.9 | 2.0 |
| Aug | 96° / 76° | 1.3 | 7.5 | 13.2 | 2.5 |
| Sep | 92° / 71° | 1.0 | 3.7 | 12.2 | 4.0 |
| Oct | 84° / 60° | 0.6 | 2.3 | 11.2 | 7.2 |
| Nov | 72° / 49° | 0.7 | 2.5 | 10.3 | 8.4 |
| Dec | 63° / 41° | 1.2 | 4.2 | 9.9 | 6.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Tucson gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 12 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 6 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.9 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Tucson?
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.
winter is one of the better times to visit Tucson for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Tucson in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Tucson sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.
UV index in Tucson in Winter
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 Tucson peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Tucson in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Tucson is worst in June — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 11 | Good |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 11 | Good |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 12 | Moderate |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Where is Tucson?
Tucson sits at 32.2°N, 110.9°W, 2,490 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Catalina Foothills, 5.0 mi away.
Topography around Tucson
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Tucson.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Tucson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 ft around an average of 2,477 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,455 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,730 ft.
The land around Tucson is covered by artificial surfaces (88%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (46%) and shrubs (43%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (80%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Tucson (32.2217°, -110.9265°, elevation 2,490 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.