Photo: Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0Sandy Valley’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 101°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sandy Valley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sandy Valley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sandy Valley’s place in Nevada beside it.
What a year in Sandy Valley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 245 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 17 and the first by November 20. Frost and day counts come from Goodsprings, NV, 11 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sandy Valley’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 20°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Red Rock Canyon - Spg Mt Rch S, NV, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 6 inches a year; February is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 30 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sandy Valley
57% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Goodsprings, NV.
Living with Sandy Valley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
245 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 17 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April and October. 62 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sandy Valley from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sandy Valley and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sandy Valley yet.
Climates most like Sandy Valley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Valley, NV | 33° | 101° | 6" | 2.6" |
| Hurricane, UT | 31° | 101° | 11" | 1.4" |
| Safford, AZ | 32° | 100° | 9" | 0.2" |
| Rosamond, CA | 33° | 98° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Socorro, TX | 31° | 97° | 9" | 2.8" |
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 Sandy Valley averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 77% 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 Sandy Valley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sandy Valley’s place among Nevada’s.
Sandy Valley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sandy Valley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Red Rock Canyon - Spg Mt Rch S, NV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 33° | 0.8" | 0.9" | 4 | 41° – 52° |
| February | 61° | 36° | 1.2" | 0.4" | 5 | 42° – 56° |
| March | 69° | 42° | 0.6" | 0.5" | 4 | 48° – 62° |
| April | 76° | 48° | 0.3" | 0.1" | 2 | 56° – 66° |
| May | 85° | 57° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 63° – 78° |
| June | 96° | 66° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 74° – 86° |
| July | 101° | 72° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 83° – 90° |
| August | 100° | 71° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 82° – 89° |
| September | 92° | 61° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 73° – 80° |
| October | 80° | 50° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 61° – 71° |
| November | 66° | 38° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 43° – 59° |
| December | 56° | 31° | 0.7" | 0.7" | 3 | 39° – 49° |
| Year | 78° | 50° | 5.7" | 2.6" | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 43° to 59°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Sandy Valley’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 Sandy Valley’s center.
- Snow: Red Rock Canyon - Spg Mt Rch S, NV.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Goodsprings, NV, 11 miles from the town’s center, 880 ft higher; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Sandy Valley’s climate
What is the weather like in Sandy Valley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 101°, a January night drops to 33°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 108 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sandy Valley in winter?
December nights average 31°. About 56 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 39°.
How much snow does Sandy Valley get?
About 2.6 inches in a normal winter at Red Rock Canyon - Spg Mt Rch S, NV, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Sandy Valley?
July, with a typical high of 101° and a low of 72°. About 128 days a year reach 90° and 59 reach 100° (Goodsprings, NV).
When is the first and last frost in Sandy Valley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 17 and the first fall frost by November 20, about 245 frost-free days, at Goodsprings, NV.
What growing zone is Sandy Valley in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sandy Valley?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sandy Valley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sandy Valley.
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.