Photo: Joe Tordiff · CC BY-SA 2.0Benjamin’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 66 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Benjamin at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Benjamin’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Benjamin’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Benjamin feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 174 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Spanish Fk Pwr House, UT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Benjamin’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 66 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Spanish Fk Pwr House, UT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; April is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Benjamin
84% of the work is heating. 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 Spanish Fk Pwr House, UT.
Living with Benjamin’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
174 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 2.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Benjamin from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Benjamin and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Benjamin in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Benjamin’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin, UT | 20° | 93° | 15" | 66" |
| Thornton, CO | 18° | 90° | 14" | 74" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
| Casper, WY | 15° | 89° | 12" | 82" |
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 Benjamin averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Benjamin compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Benjamin’s place among Utah’s.
Benjamin weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Benjamin’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Spanish Fk Pwr House, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 20° | 1.5" | 17.3" | 10 | 20 | 19° – 36° |
| February | 45° | 24° | 1.2" | 14.1" | 10 | 14 | 29° – 42° |
| March | 56° | 31° | 1.3" | 6.8" | 9 | 4 | 38° – 49° |
| April | 63° | 36° | 1.8" | 4.2" | 11 | 1 | 45° – 56° |
| May | 74° | 44° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| June | 85° | 53° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 62° – 75° |
| July | 93° | 61° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| August | 91° | 59° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| September | 81° | 49° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| October | 66° | 38° | 1.4" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| November | 51° | 28° | 1.2" | 7.4" | 8 | 5 | 31° – 46° |
| December | 39° | 21° | 1.4" | 15.7" | 10 | 17 | 23° – 34° |
| Year | 65° | 39° | 14.6" | 66.0" | 94 | 61 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 36°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Benjamin’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 Benjamin’s center.
- Snow: Spanish Fk Pwr House, UT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Spanish Fk Pwr House, UT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft higher; 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 Benjamin’s climate
What is the weather like in Benjamin?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 66 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Benjamin in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 118 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Benjamin get?
About 66 inches in a normal winter at Spanish Fk Pwr House, UT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 61 days a year.
How hot does it get in Benjamin?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 61°. About 60 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Spanish Fk Pwr House, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Benjamin?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 174 frost-free days, at Spanish Fk Pwr House, UT.
What growing zone is Benjamin in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Benjamin?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Benjamin getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Benjamin.
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.