Photo: Ken Lund from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Sparks’ winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sparks at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sparks’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sparks’ place in Nevada beside it.
What a year in Sparks feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 160 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sparks, NV, 1.6 miles from the city’s center point, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sparks’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sparks, NV, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 8 inches a year; January is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 45 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sparks
87% 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 Sparks, NV.
Living with Sparks’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
160 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by May 1 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 65 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sparks from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sparks and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sparks in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sparks’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparks, NV | 25° | 92° | 8" | 6.8" |
| Rio Rancho, NM | 22° | 92° | 10" | 7.7" |
| Star, ID | 24° | 93° | 11" | 7.4" |
| Chino Valley, AZ | 27° | 92° | 11" | 10" |
| Sunnyside, WA | 27° | 90° | 8" | 9.9" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Sparks averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in September (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 65% 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. In a city of 112,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Sparks compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sparks’ place among Nevada’s.
Sparks weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sparks’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sparks, NV. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 25° | 1.3" | 2.2" | 6 | 3 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 50° | 28° | 1.0" | 1.0" | 6 | 2 | 33° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 32° | 0.9" | 1.0" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 51° |
| April | 63° | 36° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| May | 73° | 44° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 50° – 66° |
| June | 83° | 50° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 92° | 57° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| August | 90° | 55° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 82° | 48° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| October | 69° | 38° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 55° | 29° | 0.8" | 0.8" | 4 | 0 | 33° – 49° |
| December | 45° | 24° | 1.2" | 1.7" | 5 | 1 | 27° – 39° |
| Year | 67° | 39° | 8.2" | 6.8" | 45 | 6 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sparks’ 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 Sparks’ center.
- Snow: Sparks, NV (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sparks, NV, 1.6 miles from the city’s center point, 140 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 Sparks’ climate
What is the weather like in Sparks?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 85% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sparks in winter?
December nights average 24°. About 141 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Sparks get?
About 6.8 inches in a normal winter at Sparks, NV, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sparks?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 57°. About 59 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Sparks, NV).
When is the first and last frost in Sparks?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 160 frost-free days, at Sparks, NV.
What growing zone is Sparks in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sparks?
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 Sparks getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sparks.
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.