Pocatello Westside Residential Historic District · Photo: Eric Kjaemperud · CC BY-SA 3.0Pocatello’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Pocatello at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pocatello’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pocatello’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Pocatello feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 137 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pocatello 2 Ne, ID, 3 miles from the city’s center point, 290 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pocatello’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 64 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pocatello 2 Ne, ID, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 105 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pocatello
91% 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 Pocatello 2 Ne, ID.
Living with Pocatello’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
137 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 16 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 49 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pocatello from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (32%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 39%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pocatello and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pocatello yet.
Climates most like Pocatello’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocatello, ID | 19° | 87° | 15" | 64" |
| Lone Tree, CO | 19° | 87° | 16" | 64" |
| Livingston, MT | 17° | 85° | 14" | 63" |
| Cheyenne, WY | 16° | 85° | 15" | 65" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
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 Pocatello averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Pocatello compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pocatello’s place among Idaho’s.
Pocatello weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pocatello’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pocatello 2 Ne, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 19° | 1.5" | 13.5" | 13 | 22 | 18° – 34° |
| February | 38° | 21° | 1.2" | 10.5" | 10 | 18 | 22° – 38° |
| March | 48° | 28° | 1.5" | 8.1" | 10 | 6 | 33° – 44° |
| April | 57° | 33° | 1.5" | 4.8" | 10 | 1 | 40° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 41° | 1.8" | 0.8" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| June | 76° | 47° | 1.1" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| July | 87° | 54° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 75° |
| August | 86° | 53° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| September | 75° | 44° | 1.1" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| October | 59° | 35° | 1.3" | 2.3" | 7 | 1 | 39° – 54° |
| November | 44° | 26° | 1.2" | 7.0" | 9 | 6 | 26° – 43° |
| December | 33° | 19° | 1.5" | 16.4" | 14 | 22 | 21° – 32° |
| Year | 59° | 35° | 15.0" | 63.6" | 105 | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 38°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Pocatello’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 Pocatello’s center.
- Snow: Pocatello 2 Ne, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pocatello 2 Ne, ID, 3 miles from the city’s center point, 290 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 Pocatello’s climate
What is the weather like in Pocatello?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pocatello in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 150 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Pocatello get?
About 64 inches in a normal winter at Pocatello 2 Ne, ID, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 75 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pocatello?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 54°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Pocatello 2 Ne, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Pocatello?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 137 frost-free days, at Pocatello 2 Ne, ID.
What growing zone is Pocatello in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pocatello?
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 Pocatello getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pocatello.
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.