Downey is drier than 92% of U.S. towns: 16 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 88°. Rain follows the seasons: May brings about 3.1 times as much as July. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 88% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 31, with the first autumn frost due around September 18.
A year in Downey at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Downey’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Downey’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Downey feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 110 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first by September 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Downey, ID, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Downey’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mccammon, ID, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Downey
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 Downey, ID.
Living with Downey’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
110 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 31 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Downey from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Downey and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Downey yet.
Climates most like Downey’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downey, ID | 14° | 88° | 16" | 45" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Laurel, MT | 15° | 88° | 14" | 48" |
| Belle Fourche, SD | 13° | 88° | 19" | 42" |
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 Downey averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.4°).
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 Downey compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Downey’s place among Idaho’s.
Downey weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Downey’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mccammon, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 14° | 1.7" | 16.8" | 11 | 17° – 30° |
| February | 37° | 16° | 1.4" | 7.0" | 9 | 23° – 35° |
| March | 48° | 25° | 1.4" | 3.5" | 9 | 31° – 43° |
| April | 57° | 31° | 1.5" | 1.6" | 9 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 38° | 2.1" | 0.1" | 9 | 46° – 59° |
| June | 77° | 44° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 55° – 67° |
| July | 88° | 51° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 58° – 74° |
| August | 86° | 49° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 71° |
| September | 76° | 41° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 54° – 62° |
| October | 61° | 31° | 1.3" | 0.6" | 7 | 37° – 52° |
| November | 45° | 23° | 1.1" | 2.2" | 8 | 26° – 42° |
| December | 33° | 15° | 1.7" | 12.9" | 12 | 19° – 29° |
| Year | 59° | 31° | 16.2" | 44.7" | 94 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. July swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 58° to 74°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Downey’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 Downey’s center.
- Snow: Mccammon, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Downey, ID, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Downey’s climate
What is the weather like in Downey?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Downey in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 180 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Downey get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Mccammon, ID, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Downey?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 51°. About 37 days a year reach 90° (Downey, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Downey?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 31 and the first fall frost by September 18, about 110 frost-free days, at Downey, ID.
What growing zone is Downey in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Downey?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Downey 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 Downey.
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.