Photo: Travis K. Witt · CC BY-SA 4.0Paris gets about 91 inches of snow a winter, more than 97% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 84°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 92% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.6° above 1901–2000. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 17, with the first autumn frost due around September 3.
A year in Paris at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Paris’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Paris’ place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Paris feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 77 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 17 and the first by September 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bern, ID, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Paris’ center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 91 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bern, 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 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Paris
98% 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 Bern, ID.
Living with Paris’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
77 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 17 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and August. 1.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Paris from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Paris and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Paris yet.
Climates most like Paris’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris, ID | 8° | 84° | 16" | 91" |
| Belgrade, MT | 13° | 85° | 14" | 91" |
| Craig, CO | 6° | 86° | 14" | 113" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Cheyenne, WY | 16° | 85° | 15" | 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 Paris averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 68% 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 Paris compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Paris’ place among Idaho’s.
Paris weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Paris’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bern, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 8° | 1.5" | 23.3" | 12 | 31 | 12° – 27° |
| February | 34° | 10° | 1.4" | 19.0" | 11 | 27 | 13° – 32° |
| March | 43° | 20° | 1.3" | 9.2" | 11 | 25 | 25° – 38° |
| April | 53° | 27° | 1.5" | 4.9" | 12 | 5 | 33° – 46° |
| May | 64° | 35° | 2.0" | 1.3" | 12 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| June | 74° | 41° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| July | 84° | 47° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| August | 83° | 45° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| September | 73° | 37° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| October | 58° | 28° | 1.4" | 2.9" | 9 | 1 | 34° – 49° |
| November | 43° | 19° | 1.2" | 9.2" | 10 | 8 | 23° – 37° |
| December | 31° | 10° | 1.5" | 20.6" | 13 | 25 | 14° – 27° |
| Year | 56° | 27° | 15.7" | 90.6" | 116 | 122 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 32°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Paris’ 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 Paris’ center.
- Snow: Bern, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bern, ID, 7 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 Paris’ climate
What is the weather like in Paris?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 91 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Paris in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 217 nights a year reach 32° or below and 26 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Paris get?
About 91 inches in a normal winter at Bern, ID, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 122 days a year.
How hot does it get in Paris?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 47°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Bern, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Paris?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 17 and the first fall frost by September 3, about 77 frost-free days, at Bern, ID.
What growing zone is Paris in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Paris?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Paris getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Paris.
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.