Jefferson County Courthouse · Photo: UltraSparky · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Rigby: 12 inches a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 85°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 91% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.5° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Central heating does most of its work from October to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Rigby at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rigby’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rigby’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Rigby feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 148 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rigby, ID, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rigby’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. 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 66 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Idaho Falls 16 Se, ID, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rigby
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 Rigby, ID.
Living with Rigby’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
148 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 9 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 1.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 32% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rigby from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rigby and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Rigby yet.
Climates most like Rigby’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigby, ID | 12° | 85° | 12" | 66" |
| Great Falls, MT | 13° | 84° | 13" | 66" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Durango, CO | 12° | 86° | 18" | 64" |
| 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 Rigby averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Rigby compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rigby’s place among Idaho’s.
Rigby weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rigby’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Idaho Falls 16 Se, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 12° | 1.0" | 17.0" | 10 | 30 | 13° – 29° |
| February | 34° | 16° | 0.7" | 11.8" | 9 | 25 | 15° – 35° |
| March | 46° | 25° | 0.9" | 7.6" | 9 | 18 | 27° – 42° |
| April | 56° | 31° | 1.2" | 2.9" | 10 | 2 | 38° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 39° | 1.8" | 0.9" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 75° | 45° | 1.3" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| July | 85° | 51° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 58° – 74° |
| August | 84° | 49° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| September | 74° | 41° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 54° – 61° |
| October | 59° | 31° | 1.1" | 1.7" | 7 | 1 | 37° – 52° |
| November | 42° | 22° | 0.8" | 7.6" | 8 | 10 | 23° – 39° |
| December | 30° | 14° | 1.0" | 16.0" | 11 | 25 | 15° – 29° |
| Year | 57° | 31° | 12.0" | 65.7" | 97 | 111 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 35°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Rigby’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 Rigby’s center.
- Snow: Idaho Falls 16 Se, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rigby, 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 Rigby’s climate
What is the weather like in Rigby?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 66 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rigby in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 163 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Rigby get?
About 66 inches in a normal winter at Idaho Falls 16 Se, ID, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 111 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rigby?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 51°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Rigby, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Rigby?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 148 frost-free days, at Rigby, ID.
What growing zone is Rigby in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rigby?
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 Rigby getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rigby.
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.