Photo: Flickr user Afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0Melba reaches 100° on about 17 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 24°. The wettest month is May; the driest is August. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on almost every U.S. town. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Melba at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Melba’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Melba’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Melba feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Swan Falls Ph, ID, 12 miles from the town’s center, 330 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Melba’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Nampa Sugar Factory, ID, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 8 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Melba
79% 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 Swan Falls Ph, ID.
Living with Melba’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
193 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Melba from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (66%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Melba and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Melba yet.
Climates most like Melba’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melba, ID | 24° | 93° | 8" | 9.7" |
| Rio Rancho, NM | 22° | 92° | 10" | 7.7" |
| Sparks, NV | 25° | 92° | 8" | 6.8" |
| Chino Valley, AZ | 27° | 92° | 11" | 10" |
| Fruitvale, CO | 19° | 94° | 10" | 13" |
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 Melba averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 79% 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 Melba compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Melba’s place among Idaho’s.
Melba weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Melba’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Nampa Sugar Factory, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 24° | 0.9" | 3.4" | 10 | 5 | 20° – 38° |
| February | 48° | 28° | 0.6" | 1.4" | 7 | 2 | 31° – 44° |
| March | 59° | 33° | 0.9" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 50° |
| April | 65° | 37° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 46° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| June | 83° | 52° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| July | 93° | 59° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 65° – 81° |
| August | 91° | 57° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| September | 81° | 48° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| October | 67° | 37° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 45° – 59° |
| November | 51° | 29° | 0.8" | 0.5" | 10 | 1 | 34° – 46° |
| December | 40° | 24° | 0.9" | 4.2" | 11 | 4 | 24° – 37° |
| Year | 66° | 39° | 8.1" | 9.7" | 82 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 38°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Melba’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 Melba’s center.
- Snow: Nampa Sugar Factory, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Swan Falls Ph, ID, 12 miles from the town’s center, 330 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 Melba’s climate
What is the weather like in Melba?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Melba in winter?
December nights average 24°. About 97 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Melba get?
About 9.7 inches in a normal winter at Nampa Sugar Factory, ID, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Melba?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 59°. About 70 days a year reach 90° and 17 reach 100° (Swan Falls Ph, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Melba?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 193 frost-free days, at Swan Falls Ph, ID.
What growing zone is Melba in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Melba?
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 Melba getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 79% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Melba.
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.