Long Valley Finnish Church · Photo: PKOSKIE · CC BY-SA 3.0Donnelly gets about 132 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 94 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 132 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Donnelly at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Donnelly’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Donnelly’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Donnelly feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 72 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 22 and the first by September 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mccall, ID, 11 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Donnelly’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 132 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mccall, ID, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 127 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Donnelly
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Mccall, ID.
Living with Donnelly’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
72 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 22 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Donnelly from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Donnelly and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Donnelly yet.
Climates most like Donnelly’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donnelly, ID | 14° | 82° | 28" | 132" |
| Monument, CO | 14° | 83° | 22" | 121" |
| Park City, UT | 18° | 81° | 23" | 153" |
| Palmyra, NY | 17° | 81° | 35" | 105" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
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 Donnelly averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 53% 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 Donnelly compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Donnelly’s place among Idaho’s.
Donnelly weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Donnelly’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mccall, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 14° | 3.4" | 34.9" | 14 | 31 | 17° – 29° |
| February | 37° | 15° | 2.7" | 24.1" | 13 | 28 | 21° – 34° |
| March | 45° | 22° | 3.2" | 15.5" | 13 | 29 | 28° – 40° |
| April | 52° | 27° | 2.7" | 4.2" | 12 | 12 | 34° – 46° |
| May | 62° | 34° | 2.6" | 0.4" | 12 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| June | 71° | 40° | 2.0" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| July | 82° | 46° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 54° – 70° |
| August | 82° | 44° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| September | 72° | 37° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| October | 57° | 29° | 1.9" | 2.1" | 9 | 1 | 36° – 49° |
| November | 41° | 22° | 3.1" | 17.3" | 13 | 13 | 24° – 38° |
| December | 31° | 14° | 4.0" | 33.5" | 16 | 29 | 16° – 28° |
| Year | 55° | 29° | 27.7" | 132.2" | 127 | 144 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. July swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 54° to 70°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Donnelly’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 Donnelly’s center.
- Snow: Mccall, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mccall, ID, 11 miles from the town’s center, 160 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 Donnelly’s climate
What is the weather like in Donnelly?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 132 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Donnelly in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 217 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Donnelly get?
About 132 inches in a normal winter at Mccall, ID, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 144 days a year.
How hot does it get in Donnelly?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 46°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Mccall, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Donnelly?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 22 and the first fall frost by September 2, about 72 frost-free days, at Mccall, ID.
What growing zone is Donnelly in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Donnelly?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Donnelly getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Donnelly.
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.