Photo: Aaronazzarito · CC BY-SA 4.0Precipitation in Garden City trails that of 95% of U.S. towns: 13 inches a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 93° on average. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 90% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.9° above 1901–2000. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Garden City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Garden City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Garden City’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Garden City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Boise Air Terminal, ID, 8 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Garden City’s 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Boise 5.3 Nw, ID, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 101 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Garden City
84% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Boise Air Terminal, ID.
Living with Garden City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 5.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Garden City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (78%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Garden City and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Garden City in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Garden City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City, ID | 24° | 93° | 13" | 18" |
| Magna, UT | 23° | 93° | 14" | 23" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
| Gardnerville, NV | 23° | 91° | 11" | 22" |
| North Valley, NM | 21° | 93° | 10" | 12" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Garden City averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 85% 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 Garden City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Garden City’s place among Idaho’s.
Garden City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Garden City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Boise 5.3 Nw, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 24° | 1.6" | 5.0" | 11 | 9 | 19° – 38° |
| February | 46° | 27° | 1.2" | 3.6" | 10 | 4 | 29° – 43° |
| March | 57° | 33° | 1.4" | 0.8" | 13 | 0 | 41° – 50° |
| April | 64° | 37° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| May | 74° | 45° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 82° | 51° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| July | 93° | 58° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 65° – 81° |
| August | 91° | 56° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| September | 81° | 47° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| October | 66° | 37° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 44° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 29° | 1.4" | 1.9" | 10 | 3 | 33° – 47° |
| December | 39° | 24° | 1.7" | 7.0" | 13 | 12 | 23° – 37° |
| Year | 65° | 39° | 12.9" | 18.3" | 101 | 28 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 38°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Garden City’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 Garden City’s center.
- Snow: Boise 5.3 Nw, ID (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Boise Air Terminal, ID, 8 miles from the town’s center, 190 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 Garden City’s climate
What is the weather like in Garden City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Garden City in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 108 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Garden City get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Boise 5.3 Nw, ID, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 28 days a year.
How hot does it get in Garden City?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 58°. About 55 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Boise Air Terminal, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Garden City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 179 frost-free days, at Boise Air Terminal, ID.
What growing zone is Garden City 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 Garden City?
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 Garden City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 85% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Garden City.
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.