Photo: Tedder · CC BY 4.0Albion is among the driest of U.S. towns: 12 inches of precipitation a year
In January the night’s low is typically 20°. May is the wettest month, July the driest. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 62% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 67–76°, belongs to May, June and September.
A year in Albion at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Albion’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Albion’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Albion feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 96 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 5 and the first by September 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Malta, ID, 13 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Albion’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Malta, ID, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Albion
96% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Malta, ID.
Living with Albion’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
96 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Jun 5 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Albion from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Albion and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Albion yet.
Climates most like Albion’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion, ID | 20° | 87° | 12" | 12" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
| Eldorado at Santa Fe, NM | 19° | 87° | 13" | 20" |
| Cold Springs, NV | 23° | 88° | 13" | 17" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Albion averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 63% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Albion compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Albion’s place among Idaho’s.
Albion weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Albion’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Malta, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 20° | 1.1" | 4.2" | 7 | 20° – 36° |
| February | 41° | 23° | 0.8" | 1.9" | 5 | 24° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 1.1" | 1.2" | 5 | 34° – 45° |
| April | 57° | 33° | 1.4" | 1.2" | 7 | 41° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 41° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 47° – 59° |
| June | 76° | 47° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 57° – 68° |
| July | 87° | 55° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 61° – 75° |
| August | 86° | 53° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 64° – 73° |
| September | 76° | 45° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 57° – 63° |
| October | 62° | 35° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 40° – 54° |
| November | 47° | 26° | 0.9" | 0.3" | 5 | 28° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 20° | 1.1" | 3.1" | 6 | 23° – 33° |
| Year | 60° | 35° | 12.3" | 11.9" | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 36°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Albion’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Albion’s center.
- Snow: Malta, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Malta, ID, 13 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Albion’s climate
What is the weather like in Albion?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Albion in winter?
December nights average 20°. About 168 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Albion get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Malta, ID, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Albion?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 55°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Malta, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Albion?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 5 and the first fall frost by September 13, about 96 frost-free days, at Malta, ID.
What growing zone is Albion in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Albion?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Albion getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Albion.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.