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How cold can it get in NORTHERN AriZONA?
Flagstaff, Arizona is located at an elevation of around 7,000 feet. Because of this fact, temperatures in the winter can be much colder than what most people would expect in Arizona. In fact, some people can be caught without the proper clothing when visiting Flagstaff in the winter, bringing short sleeved shirts and shorts, rather than a thick coat and gloves.
Weather records have been taken in Flagstaff since September 9, 1898. Therefore, we have about 120 years of weather records to
look back at to see what a 'typical' winter in Flagstaff is like. The average high temperature in Flagstaff during the month of January is 42 F, but the average low temperature is a cold 15.4 F. Temperatures can dip down into the single digits and even below zero during some of the long winter nights.
So, when did the coldest temperature occur in Flagstaff? If you guessed 1937, you'd be right! The exact date was January 22, 1937 when the mercury fell to a mind-numbing -30 degrees. That is right, 30 degrees BELOW zero!! Even with that cold of an overnight temperature, the afternoon high temperature that day was +12 degrees, a full 42 degrees warmer than the night time low. That's a big diurnal change!
On January 7th, 1971, an official National Weather Service observation station at Hawley Lake (located in the high elevations of the White Mountains of eastern Arizona) recorded an all-time record low temperature for the state of Arizona of -40 degrees Fahrenheit!
Most high terrain areas in northern Arizona can experience near and well-below freezing temperatures throughout the entire winter, bringing a wide swath of winter conditions to the northern Arizona high country. Specifically, some of these towns and cities are,
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