Nevada Northern Railway-McGill Depot · Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than McGill: 10 inches a year
Deep winter brings January lows near 15°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 86% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 28, with the first autumn frost due around September 24.
A year in McGill at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about McGill’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with McGill’s place in Nevada beside it.
What a year in McGill 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 28 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mcgill, NV, 0.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts McGill’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mcgill, NV, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; April is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 54 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in McGill
94% 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 Mcgill, NV.
Living with McGill’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
119 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 28 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 4.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in McGill from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →McGill and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around McGill yet.
Climates most like McGill’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGill, NV | 15° | 88° | 10" | 37" |
| Gallup, NM | 17° | 88° | 10" | 34" |
| Chubbuck, ID | 17° | 88° | 12" | 39" |
| Carbondale, CO | 11° | 88° | 13" | 39" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
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 McGill averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.2°).
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 McGill compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with McGill’s place among Nevada’s.
McGill weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at McGill’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mcgill, NV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 15° | 0.8" | 6.3" | 5 | 16 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 43° | 18° | 0.8" | 7.7" | 6 | 14 | 24° – 39° |
| March | 51° | 24° | 0.9" | 5.9" | 5 | 6 | 32° – 44° |
| April | 58° | 29° | 1.2" | 3.6" | 6 | 2 | 38° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 36° | 1.1" | 1.2" | 6 | 1 | 45° – 57° |
| June | 79° | 44° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| July | 88° | 51° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| August | 86° | 50° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| September | 77° | 41° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 55° – 62° |
| October | 64° | 30° | 0.8" | 0.6" | 4 | 1 | 42° – 53° |
| November | 50° | 21° | 0.6" | 3.4" | 4 | 4 | 27° – 42° |
| December | 40° | 14° | 0.7" | 8.2" | 5 | 12 | 21° – 32° |
| Year | 62° | 31° | 9.5" | 36.9" | 54 | 56 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 37°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where McGill’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 McGill’s center.
- Snow: Mcgill, NV (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mcgill, NV, 0.8 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 McGill’s climate
What is the weather like in McGill?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in McGill in winter?
December nights average 14°. About 181 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does McGill get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Mcgill, NV, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 56 days a year.
How hot does it get in McGill?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 51°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Mcgill, NV).
When is the first and last frost in McGill?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 28 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 119 frost-free days, at Mcgill, NV.
What growing zone is McGill in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit McGill?
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 McGill 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 McGill.
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.