Photo: Sam Beebe · CC BY 2.0Stanley has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 81°. Temperatures cover 77° across the year, low to high. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 90% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to May, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Stanley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stanley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stanley’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Stanley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 294 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 60 to 0° or below. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Stanley, ID, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Stanley Rs, ID, 2.9 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stanley’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −29°. 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 19 inches of rain a year
December is the wettest month and August the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Stanley
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Stanley Rs, ID.
Living with Stanley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 29 days.
1.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stanley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stanley and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Stanley yet.
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 Stanley averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 59% 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 Stanley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stanley’s place among Idaho’s.
Stanley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stanley’s center. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 4° | 2.3" | 7° – 25° |
| February | 36° | 6° | 2.1" | 16° – 30° |
| March | 45° | 15° | 1.9" | 24° – 37° |
| April | 51° | 22° | 1.7" | 30° – 42° |
| May | 61° | 29° | 1.6" | 39° – 50° |
| June | 70° | 34° | 1.5" | 49° – 58° |
| July | 81° | 39° | 0.5" | 51° – 65° |
| August | 80° | 37° | 0.5" | 54° – 61° |
| September | 71° | 30° | 0.9" | 47° – 55° |
| October | 56° | 23° | 1.5" | 32° – 45° |
| November | 40° | 14° | 2.0" | 18° – 34° |
| December | 29° | 5° | 2.6" | 10° – 23° |
| Year | 54° | 22° | 19.0" |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 25°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Stanley’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 Stanley’s center.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Stanley Rs, ID, 2.9 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Stanley, ID, 0.6 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 Stanley’s climate
What is the weather like in Stanley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 4°. Colder January nights than all but 160 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stanley in winter?
January nights average 4°. About 294 nights a year reach 32° or below and 60 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How hot does it get in Stanley?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 39°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Stanley Rs, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Stanley?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Stanley Rs, ID, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 294 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 29 days.
What growing zone is Stanley in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −29°.
What is the best time of year to visit Stanley?
No month meets the simple rule we use (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more). The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Stanley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 59% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Stanley.
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.