Scottsdale weather by month: what the NOAA normals mean for your golf
Scottsdale weather by month for golfers: NOAA highs, lows, rain, 100F days, frost nights and sunset times, turned into plain advice on tee times and packing.
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Scottsdale weather by month runs from mild winters (highs about 66F to 68F in December and January) through near-perfect springs (78F in March) to extreme summer heat (104F to 107F from June to August), with little rain in any month. For golf, that means frosty winter dawns, a March sweet spot and dawn-only summer rounds.
The numbers below are NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Phoenix Sky Harbor, about 10 miles south-west of Old Town Scottsdale. Below the table, each season is turned into plain advice on tee times, clothing and course choice.
Quick facts
- Annual rain: 7.22 inches; no month averages more than 0.93 inches.
- Warmest winter afternoon: about 71F in February; coldest dawn: about 45F in December.
- Days over 100F: about 111 a year, almost all from May to September.
- Frost: under one night a month at Sky Harbor; outlying courses run colder.
- Monsoon: roughly July to mid-September, with humidity, storms and dust.
- Clocks: Mountain Standard Time all year, no daylight saving.
Scottsdale weather by month: the normals
| Month | High (F) | Low (F) | Rain (in) | Rain days | Days 90F+ | Days 100F+ | Frost nights | Sunrise / sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67.6 | 46.0 | 0.87 | 3.8 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 7:32 / 5:43pm |
| Feb | 70.8 | 49.0 | 0.87 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 7:12 / 6:12pm |
| Mar | 78.1 | 54.5 | 0.83 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 6:38 / 6:36pm |
| Apr | 85.5 | 60.8 | 0.22 | 1.5 | 10.2 | 1.0 | 0 | 5:58 / 6:58pm |
| May | 94.5 | 69.5 | 0.13 | 1.0 | 23.6 | 9.0 | 0 | 5:27 / 7:21pm |
| Jun | 104.2 | 78.6 | 0.02 | 0.5 | 29.4 | 24.6 | 0 | 5:17 / 7:39pm |
| Jul | 106.5 | 84.5 | 0.91 | 3.9 | 30.8 | 28.5 | 0 | 5:29 / 7:38pm |
| Aug | 105.1 | 83.6 | 0.93 | 4.6 | 30.7 | 27.1 | 0 | 5:50 / 7:14pm |
| Sep | 100.4 | 78.1 | 0.57 | 2.5 | 28.4 | 18.2 | 0 | 6:11 / 6:34pm |
| Oct | 89.2 | 65.6 | 0.56 | 2.2 | 16.8 | 2.9 | 0 | 6:32 / 5:54pm |
| Nov | 76.5 | 53.7 | 0.57 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 | 6:59 / 5:25pm |
| Dec | 66.2 | 45.3 | 0.74 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 7:24 / 5:21pm |
These are the normals behind this Scottsdale weather by month table. Rain days count days with at least 0.01 inches. Sunrise and sunset are computed for the 15th of each month of 2027 at Old Town, in MST, to within about two minutes. Wind normals were not gathered.
Reading the numbers for your course
Sky Harbor sits in the urban core, so its nights are warmer than the outlying desert, and Scottsdale weather by month at your course may differ from the table. Courses in north Scottsdale and Carefree such as Troon North Pinnacle and Monument, out at Rio Verde such as Verde River, and east at Gold Canyon such as Dinosaur Mountain will be colder at dawn than the table shows. No outlying station was read, so we cannot say by how much. The Pinnacle course guide has that course's own season notes. Central courses near Old Town, Tempe and Phoenix track Sky Harbor more closely.
Winter: December to February
Afternoons are in the mid-60s to low 70s, which is ideal walking weather. Dawns are the issue: about 45F to 49F at Sky Harbor and colder in the desert, so the first tee times of the day can wait on frost. Days are short (under ten and a half hours of light in December and January), which squeezes tee sheets into fewer hours. Some courses shorten their day too: Arizona Grand lists hours of sunrise to 4:30pm from September to May.
Advice: book mid-morning rather than first light, pack layers you can strip off by the turn, and expect about one wet day a week at most. See Scottsdale golf in winter.
Spring: March and April
March is the best weather month, at about 78F with a little rain, and the most crowded. April warms to the mid-80s and dries out, with the first 100F day on average and about ten days over 90F. Arizona does not change clocks, so from March 14, 2027 Phoenix matches Pacific daylight time.
Advice: morning or midday rounds are comfortable; sunscreen and a hat matter from March on. Our guide to the best time to golf in Scottsdale weighs weather against price month by month.
Late spring: May
Mid-90s with about nine days over 100F and almost no rain. Snowbirds have gone and most courses move to shoulder or summer rates. Play before about 11am and carry extra water.
Summer: June to September
June is the driest month (0.02 inches) and averages 104F. July is the hottest at 106.5F with dawn lows near 85F, so first light is already warm. The monsoon, roughly July to mid-September, brings humidity, dust storms (haboobs) and thunderstorms; August is the wettest month. September still averages 100F, with 18 days over 100F.
Advice: tee off at first light, ride, carry far more water than usual and finish by late morning. Watch the sky in monsoon season. The Phoenix summer golf guide covers summer rates and closures.
Fall: October and November
October drops to the high 80s, with about 17 days over 90F, and it is also overseed month, when most courses close for two to three weeks. November is one of the best golf months: 76.5F, about two rain days and fresh rye. Sunset moves from about 5:54pm in mid-October to 5:25pm in mid-November. See Phoenix golf overseed and Scottsdale golf in October and November.
Scottsdale weather by month in one line each
- January and February: mild afternoons, cold dawns, a few wet days.
- March and April: the best stretch, warming fast in April.
- May: hot but dry; morning golf.
- June to September: extreme heat, monsoon from July; first light only.
- October: cooling, but overseed closures.
- November and December: mild and dry, with short days by December.
What to pack by month
| Months | Clothing | Course choice |
|---|---|---|
| Dec - Feb | layers, light jacket, beanie for dawn | later tee times on outlying courses |
| Mar - Apr | short sleeves, hat, sunscreen | anything; book early |
| May, Oct | sun gear, extra water | mornings |
| Jun - Sep | lightest kit, cooling towel, lots of water | first light, ride |
| Nov | layers for dawn, short sleeves by noon | check overseed status |
A wide, walkable course like Talking Stick O'odham suits a mild winter walk; see the O'odham course guide. Lookout Mountain borders the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, where hikers share the trails, and Camelback Mountain trails are open sunrise to sunset with rattlesnakes regularly encountered, so take a dawn hike, not a hot afternoon one.
Time zone and daylight
Arizona uses Mountain Standard Time all year. From November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027 Phoenix is one hour ahead of Pacific time and in summer it matches Pacific daylight time. British Columbia stays on UTC-7, so Vancouver matches Phoenix all year; Alberta and Saskatchewan are one hour ahead all year. More for Canadian visitors is in Canadian snowbirds in Arizona. For comparison, see Tucson weather for golfers and Palm Springs weather for golfers.
Plan it on the map
Open the Scottsdale golf map to compare courses by area, from central Phoenix to the high desert, with Scottsdale weather by month in mind. The $30 plan sets tee times to suit the month, with later starts in winter and dawn starts in summer, and it can run a whole winter stay with a weekly rotation.
Courses in this guide
Questions golfers ask
What is the weather in Scottsdale in January?
January averages a high of 67.6F and a low of 46.0F at Phoenix Sky Harbor, with about 3.8 rain days and 0.87 inches of rain. Outlying desert courses run colder at dawn, so early tee times can wait on frost. Sunset is about 5:43pm.
Which month has the best golf weather in Scottsdale?
March, at about 78F with about three rain days, followed by November at 76.5F. April is warmer at 85.5F and nearly dry, with about ten days over 90F on average.
How hot is Scottsdale in summer?
Very hot. Normal highs are 104.2F in June, 106.5F in July and 105.1F in August, and Sky Harbor averages 111 days a year over 100F. July and August lows are about 84F to 85F, so even first light is warm.
Does it rain much in Scottsdale?
Not much. The annual normal is 7.22 inches. Winter brings about four rain days a month in December, January and February, and the July to September monsoon brings thunderstorms and dust storms; August is the wettest month at 0.93 inches.
Does it freeze in Scottsdale?
Rarely at Sky Harbor, which averages 0.4 nights below freezing in January and 0.1 in December and February. Sky Harbor is in the urban core, so north Scottsdale, Carefree, Rio Verde and Gold Canyon get colder dawns; no normals for those areas are published here.
When does it get dark in Scottsdale in winter?
Sunset on December 15 is about 5:21pm and on January 15 about 5:43pm, giving under ten and a half hours of daylight. By March 15 sunset is about 6:36pm, and June has more than 14 hours of light.
What is the monsoon?
The North American Monsoon runs roughly July to mid-September and brings humidity, thunderstorms and dust storms called haboobs. For golf it means hot, humid mornings and the chance of storms later in the day.
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