Big Cedar School · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Stites reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 27°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 88% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.3° higher. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Stites at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stites’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stites’ place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Stites feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 163 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kamiah, ID, 10 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stites’ center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kamiah, ID, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Stites
91% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Kamiah, ID.
Living with Stites’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
163 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stites from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stites and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Stites yet.
Climates most like Stites’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stites, ID | 27° | 91° | 23" | 11" |
| Yreka, CA | 29° | 91° | 20" | 12" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| Payson, AZ | 30° | 92° | 20" | 19" |
| Clovis, NM | 24° | 91° | 17" | 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 Stites averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Stites compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stites’ place among Idaho’s.
Stites weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stites’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kamiah, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 27° | 1.8" | 2.7" | 12 | 5 | 25° – 38° |
| February | 46° | 28° | 1.6" | 2.0" | 11 | 1 | 29° – 44° |
| March | 56° | 32° | 2.6" | 0.5" | 12 | 1 | 38° – 50° |
| April | 64° | 37° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 44° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| June | 80° | 49° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| July | 91° | 54° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 63° – 79° |
| August | 92° | 53° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 81° | 46° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| October | 64° | 37° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| November | 48° | 31° | 2.5" | 0.4" | 12 | 0 | 33° – 45° |
| December | 38° | 26° | 1.9" | 5.7" | 12 | 3 | 26° – 36° |
| Year | 64° | 39° | 23.4" | 11.3" | 115 | 11 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. July swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 63° to 79°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Stites’ 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 Stites’ center.
- Snow: Kamiah, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kamiah, ID, 10 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Stites’ climate
What is the weather like in Stites?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stites in winter?
December nights average 26°. About 120 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Stites get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Kamiah, ID, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 11 days a year.
How hot does it get in Stites?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 54°. About 56 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Kamiah, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Stites?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 163 frost-free days, at Kamiah, ID.
What growing zone is Stites in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Stites?
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 Stites getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Stites.
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.