Fish Springs is among the driest of U.S. towns: 10 inches of precipitation a year
January nights here settle around 24°. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 74% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.2°, most of all in January. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 30, with the first autumn frost due around September 26.
A year in Fish Springs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fish Springs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fish Springs’ place in Nevada beside it.
What a year in Fish Springs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 119 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 30 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Minden, NV, 7 miles from the town’s center, 460 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fish Springs’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Carson City, NV, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; January is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 38 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fish Springs
94% 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 Minden, NV.
Living with Fish Springs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
119 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 30 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 36 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fish Springs from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fish Springs and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fish Springs yet.
Climates most like Fish Springs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fish Springs, NV | 24° | 89° | 10" | 14" |
| Wenatchee, WA | 26° | 89° | 10" | 17" |
| Snowflake, AZ | 20° | 90° | 10" | 13" |
| Burley, ID | 21° | 89° | 10" | 21" |
| Madras, OR | 26° | 87° | 11" | 14" |
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 Fish Springs averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 64% 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 Fish Springs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fish Springs’ place among Nevada’s.
Fish Springs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fish Springs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Carson City, NV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 24° | 1.6" | 3.6" | 6 | 3 | 26° – 42° |
| February | 50° | 26° | 1.5" | 1.7" | 6 | 2 | 30° – 45° |
| March | 56° | 30° | 1.2" | 1.6" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 49° |
| April | 61° | 33° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 41° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| June | 81° | 48° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| July | 89° | 55° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| August | 88° | 53° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 81° | 45° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| October | 68° | 36° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 55° | 27° | 0.9" | 0.7" | 3 | 1 | 32° – 47° |
| December | 45° | 23° | 1.3" | 6.4" | 5 | 3 | 29° – 38° |
| Year | 66° | 37° | 9.6" | 14.0" | 38 | 9 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 42°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Fish Springs’ 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 Fish Springs’ center.
- Snow: Carson City, NV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Minden, NV, 7 miles from the town’s center, 460 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 Fish Springs’ climate
What is the weather like in Fish Springs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fish Springs in winter?
December nights average 23°. About 189 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Fish Springs get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Carson City, NV, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 9 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fish Springs?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 55°. About 68 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Minden, NV).
When is the first and last frost in Fish Springs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 30 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 119 frost-free days, at Minden, NV.
What growing zone is Fish Springs in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fish Springs?
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 Fish Springs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fish Springs.
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.