Photo: Geographer · Public domainRuth is among the driest of U.S. towns: 13 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal January night the air cools to about 15°. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 84% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.6°, most of all in March. Plan time outside for June, August and September, when highs sit at 74–83°.
A year in Ruth at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ruth’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ruth’s place in Nevada beside it.
What a year in Ruth 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 235 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 25 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ruth, NV, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ruth’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 64 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ruth, NV, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; May is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 67 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ruth
99% 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 Ruth, NV.
Living with Ruth’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 5a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 81 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ruth from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ruth and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ruth yet.
Climates most like Ruth’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruth, NV | 15° | 85° | 13" | 64" |
| Great Falls, MT | 13° | 84° | 13" | 66" |
| Cheyenne, WY | 16° | 85° | 15" | 65" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| The Pinery, CO | 17° | 86° | 17" | 58" |
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 Ruth averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 66% 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 Ruth compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ruth’s place among Nevada’s.
Ruth weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ruth’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ruth, NV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 15° | 1.1" | 13.1" | 6 | 21 | 20° – 36° |
| February | 41° | 18° | 1.2" | 12.4" | 6 | 18 | 22° – 38° |
| March | 49° | 25° | 1.3" | 10.1" | 6 | 9 | 30° – 43° |
| April | 55° | 29° | 1.4" | 5.5" | 7 | 3 | 36° – 48° |
| May | 65° | 36° | 1.5" | 1.3" | 7 | 1 | 44° – 56° |
| June | 76° | 44° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| July | 85° | 52° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| August | 83° | 51° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 64° – 70° |
| September | 74° | 42° | 0.9" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 62° |
| October | 61° | 32° | 1.1" | 1.8" | 5 | 1 | 39° – 52° |
| November | 48° | 22° | 0.8" | 6.1" | 4 | 6 | 27° – 41° |
| December | 39° | 14° | 1.1" | 13.3" | 6 | 18 | 20° – 31° |
| Year | 59° | 32° | 12.6" | 63.9" | 67 | 76 |
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 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Ruth’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 Ruth’s center.
- Snow: Ruth, NV (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ruth, NV, 0.2 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 Ruth’s climate
What is the weather like in Ruth?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ruth in winter?
December nights average 14°. About 235 nights a year reach 32° or below and 25 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Ruth get?
About 64 inches in a normal winter at Ruth, NV, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 76 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ruth?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 52°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Ruth, NV).
When is the first and last frost in Ruth?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Ruth, NV, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 235 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 81 days.
What growing zone is Ruth in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ruth?
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 Ruth getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ruth.
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.