Rio Rico, Arizona Weather
Rio Rico, Arizona — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, aviation weather, radar and satellite imagery, soil and crop conditions for Rio Rico, Santa Cruz County.
Flight conditions near Rio Rico. Data source: locating…
Soil conditions, frost risk and crop weather for Rio Rico.
About Rio Rico, Arizona
Rio Rico unfolds across a vast expanse of high desert, where the Sonoran landscape asserts its raw, untamed beauty. It lies 33.6 miles south of Sahuarita, AZ (from Sahuarita, AZ: bearing 182°T), and is situated 9.4 miles north-north-west of Nogales. Rolling hills, softened by the passage of time and the persistent caress of wind, give way to broad valleys that stretch towards distant, jagged mountain ranges. The air, especially in the early morning, carries a dry, clean scent, a mixture of creosote bush and sun-baked earth, and the light, even at midday, possesses a peculiar clarity, sharp and unwavering. Scattered mesquite trees, their branches reaching like gnarled fingers, offer scant shade, while ocotillo plants, their spiny stalks tipped with fleeting scarlet blooms, stand sentinel against the immense, pale blue sky. The character of Rio Rico is one of open space, of horizons that seem to go on forever, and a profound, almost hushed stillness that can settle over the land as the sun dips low, painting the sky in hues of apricot and rose. The history of Rio Rico is intrinsically tied to the arid lands it occupies, a story of resilience and adaptation. Once part of vast ranching territories, its development gained momentum in the mid-20th century, a vision of suburban expansion taking root in this rugged terrain. The local economy, while not driven by a single dominant industry, finds its pulse in services supporting its growing residential population and in the nearby agricultural endeavors that coax life from the challenging soil. The Santa Cruz River, though often a whisper rather than a roar in this dry climate, has historically shaped the patterns of settlement and agriculture, its presence a vital, if sometimes subtle, lifeblood. Though it boasts no singular grand monument, the enduring spirit of those who have chosen to build their lives here, amidst the stark beauty and quiet solitude, imbues Rio Rico with its own distinctive character, a testament to human tenacity in a land of dramatic extremes.
Live animated radar for Rio Rico and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | Rio Rico, Santa Cruz County, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 31.471483°N, 110.976477°W |
| Timezone | Mountain Standard Time — no DST (America/Phoenix) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 85648, 85640 |
| Area Code | 520 |
| Page generated | July 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Rio Rico, Arizona Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Rio Rico, Arizona, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, real-time aviation weather (live METAR and TAF reports from the nearest reporting airport, with a modeled estimate shown when no station is in range), precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for Rio Rico includes coordinates 31.471483°N, 110.976477°W, situated in Santa Cruz County. ZIP code 85648, 85640. Telephone area code: 520. Timezone: Mountain Standard Time — no DST (America/Phoenix).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. Aviation data is sourced from aviationweather.gov (NOAA), with a modeled estimate used where no nearby reporting station is available. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
