Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainLess rain and snow falls on Bonners Ferry than on 88% of U.S. towns: 22 inches a year
July afternoons average 84°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 61% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.4° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 30, with the first autumn frost due around October 4.
A year in Bonners Ferry at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bonners Ferry’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bonners Ferry’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Bonners Ferry feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 154 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bonners Ferry, ID, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bonners Ferry’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 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bonners Ferry, ID, falls mostly in 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 114 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bonners Ferry
95% 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 Bonners Ferry, ID.
Living with Bonners Ferry’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
154 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 30 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bonners Ferry from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (62%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bonners Ferry and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bonners Ferry yet.
Climates most like Bonners Ferry’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonners Ferry, ID | 22° | 84° | 22" | 54" |
| Castle Rock, CO | 18° | 85° | 18" | 58" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Los Alamos, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 42" |
| Ranchettes, WY | 16° | 85° | 16" | 65" |
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 Bonners Ferry averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Bonners Ferry compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bonners Ferry’s place among Idaho’s.
Bonners Ferry weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bonners Ferry’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bonners Ferry, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 22° | 2.7" | 15.0" | 13 | 25 | 20° – 34° |
| February | 38° | 23° | 1.7" | 10.8" | 9 | 14 | 21° – 37° |
| March | 48° | 28° | 2.0" | 3.7" | 11 | 6 | 33° – 43° |
| April | 58° | 34° | 1.5" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 68° | 41° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| June | 74° | 47° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| July | 84° | 51° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| August | 84° | 50° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| September | 72° | 43° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| October | 56° | 34° | 2.0" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| November | 41° | 28° | 2.7" | 6.4" | 13 | 4 | 27° – 41° |
| December | 33° | 22° | 3.1" | 17.3" | 13 | 18 | 21° – 32° |
| Year | 57° | 35° | 22.2" | 53.8" | 114 | 66 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 37°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Bonners Ferry’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 Bonners Ferry’s center.
- Snow: Bonners Ferry, ID (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bonners Ferry, ID, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft higher; 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 Bonners Ferry’s climate
What is the weather like in Bonners Ferry?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bonners Ferry in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Bonners Ferry get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at Bonners Ferry, ID, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 66 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bonners Ferry?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 51°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Bonners Ferry, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Bonners Ferry?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 154 frost-free days, at Bonners Ferry, ID.
What growing zone is Bonners Ferry 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 Bonners Ferry?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bonners Ferry getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bonners Ferry.
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.