Arizona Apache White Mountains Weather Conditions

With more than 200 inches of annual snowfall, skiers love the White Mountains.

The White Mountains separate Arizona's central highlands from the Colorado Plateau on the north, comprising a great portion of the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation plus the Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests.

Alpine Region

At 8,000 to 11,000 feet, the dry climate produces a lot of powder snow. Sunrise Park Resort gets more than 200 inches of snow per year. Average minimum/maximum temperatures at Sunrise and nearby alpine lakes are 15/40 degrees during the December-March ski season---often dipping below zero degrees Fahrenheit---and 40/70 degrees in summer. Precipitation is 1 to 5 inches monthly, the driest period from April to June, and 10 to 50 inches of snow per month from November to March.

Northern Edge

Reaching from Show Low to Springerville and the New Mexico border, most towns are situated from 6,000 to 7,000 feet. Average minimum/maximum temperatures are 20/48 degrees from December to March and 50/82 in summer. Precipitation is less than 2 inches per month, except during the July-August monsoons, with around 3 inches.

Southern Highlands

The dramatic Salt River drains much of the White Mountains range

Whiteriver and Fort Apache Junction, at about 5,300 feet, average less than 2 inches of rain per month, except during the July-August monsoons, with around 3 inches. Average minimum/maximum temperatures for this arid region run 25/55 degrees in winter and 55/88 degrees in summer. Lower elevations along the Salt River Canyon to the southwest produce a more desert-like climate that reaches up to 100 degrees in summer.

References

• Desert Research Institute: Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary
• Northern Arizona Environmental Education Resource Center: Arizona Regional Geography