Ola School · Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 4.0Banks is drier than 88% of U.S. towns: 22 inches of precipitation a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 86°. The wettest month is December; the driest is August. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 1, with the first autumn frost due around September 10.
A year in Banks at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Banks’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Banks’ place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Banks feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 102 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by September 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Garden Valley, ID, 8 miles from the town’s center, 440 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Banks’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 69 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Garden Valley, ID, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 22 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 98 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Banks
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 Garden Valley, ID.
Living with Banks’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
102 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Jun 1 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 1.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Banks from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Banks and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Banks yet.
Climates most like Banks’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banks, ID | 22° | 86° | 22" | 69" |
| Alpine, UT | 21° | 88° | 24" | 74" |
| Roxborough Park, CO | 18° | 86° | 19" | 62" |
| Mead, WA | 25° | 86° | 19" | 45" |
| Spearfish, SD | 15° | 86° | 25" | 71" |
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 Banks averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 69% 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 Banks compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Banks’ place among Idaho’s.
Banks weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Banks’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Garden Valley, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 22° | 3.0" | 22.8" | 12 | 30 | 20° – 35° |
| February | 40° | 24° | 2.3" | 10.2" | 11 | 24 | 26° – 39° |
| March | 49° | 29° | 2.4" | 3.5" | 11 | 13 | 34° – 45° |
| April | 56° | 33° | 2.0" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 66° | 41° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| June | 75° | 48° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| July | 86° | 56° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 61° – 78° |
| August | 86° | 57° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 76° | 48° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| October | 60° | 38° | 1.5" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 41° – 55° |
| November | 43° | 28° | 2.5" | 8.0" | 11 | 4 | 29° – 41° |
| December | 34° | 22° | 3.4" | 24.2" | 13 | 23 | 20° – 33° |
| Year | 59° | 37° | 22.1" | 69.4" | 98 | 94 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. July swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 61° to 78°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Banks’ 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 Banks’ center.
- Snow: Garden Valley, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Garden Valley, ID, 8 miles from the town’s center, 440 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 Banks’ climate
What is the weather like in Banks?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 69 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Banks in winter?
December nights average 22°. About 180 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Banks get?
About 69 inches in a normal winter at Garden Valley, ID, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 94 days a year.
How hot does it get in Banks?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 56°. About 46 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Garden Valley, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Banks?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by September 10, about 102 frost-free days, at Garden Valley, ID.
What growing zone is Banks in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Banks?
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 Banks getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Banks.
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.