Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0Dry weather: only 13 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Sugar City, less than in 95% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 85°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 91% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.3° higher. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Sugar City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sugar City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sugar City’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Sugar City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 129 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by September 23. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sugar City, ID, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Rexburg Madison Co Airport, 4 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sugar City’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 70 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ashton 1n, ID, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sugar City
97% 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 Rexburg Madison Co Airport.
Living with Sugar City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
129 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 15 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sugar City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sugar City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sugar City yet.
Climates most like Sugar City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar City, ID | 12° | 85° | 13" | 70" |
| Great Falls, MT | 13° | 84° | 13" | 66" |
| Durango, CO | 12° | 86° | 18" | 64" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Heber, UT | 12° | 88° | 15" | 75" |
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 Sugar City averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.9°).
A smaller shift than in 51% 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 Sugar City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sugar City’s place among Idaho’s.
Sugar City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sugar City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ashton 1n, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 12° | 1.1" | 19.8" | 9 | 31 | 13° – 28° |
| February | 34° | 15° | 0.8" | 10.7" | 7 | 29 | 15° – 34° |
| March | 45° | 24° | 0.9" | 5.3" | 7 | 25 | 26° – 42° |
| April | 56° | 31° | 1.2" | 2.0" | 7 | 4 | 37° – 49° |
| May | 66° | 39° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| June | 75° | 45° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| July | 85° | 50° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 58° – 74° |
| August | 84° | 48° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| September | 74° | 41° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| October | 58° | 31° | 1.2" | 1.6" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 51° |
| November | 42° | 21° | 0.9" | 10.5" | 7 | 10 | 22° – 39° |
| December | 29° | 13° | 1.2" | 20.2" | 10 | 26 | 14° – 28° |
| Year | 56° | 31° | 13.0" | 70.1" | 78 | 125 |
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 34°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sugar City’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 Sugar City’s center.
- Snow: Ashton 1n, ID.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Rexburg Madison Co Airport, 4 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Sugar City, ID, 1.1 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 Sugar City’s climate
What is the weather like in Sugar City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sugar City in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 193 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Sugar City get?
About 70 inches in a normal winter at Ashton 1n, ID, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 125 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sugar City?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 50°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Rexburg Madison Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Sugar City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 129 frost-free days, at Rexburg Madison Co Airport.
What growing zone is Sugar City in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sugar City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sugar City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 51% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sugar City.
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.