Photo: Uncle Kick-Kick · CC BY-SA 2.0Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Bonanza: 10 inches a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 91°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 93% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Tender plants can go out after about May 12; in half of years the first frost comes by October 5.
A year in Bonanza at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bonanza’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bonanza’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Bonanza feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 146 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from Dinosaur Nm, CO, 19 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bonanza’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 26 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dinosaur Nm, CO, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bonanza
92% 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 Dinosaur Nm, CO.
Living with Bonanza’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
146 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 12 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bonanza from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bonanza and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bonanza yet.
Climates most like Bonanza’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonanza, UT | 10° | 91° | 10" | 26" |
| Fort Morgan, CO | 14° | 91° | 14" | 23" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
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 Bonanza averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 89% 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 Bonanza compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bonanza’s place among Utah’s.
Bonanza weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bonanza’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dinosaur Nm, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 10° | 0.6" | 6.4" | 5 | 9° – 28° |
| February | 39° | 17° | 0.5" | 4.1" | 5 | 20° – 36° |
| March | 53° | 28° | 0.7" | 1.8" | 5 | 35° – 46° |
| April | 61° | 34° | 1.0" | 1.4" | 6 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 72° | 44° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 7 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 84° | 52° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 73° |
| July | 91° | 59° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 70° – 80° |
| August | 88° | 57° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 69° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 58° – 68° |
| October | 64° | 36° | 1.1" | 0.4" | 6 | 42° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 25° | 0.6" | 4.1" | 5 | 27° – 42° |
| December | 33° | 13° | 0.6" | 7.8" | 5 | 14° – 30° |
| Year | 62° | 35° | 9.7" | 26.1" | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 9° to 28°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Bonanza’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 Bonanza’s center.
- Snow: Dinosaur Nm, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dinosaur Nm, CO, 19 miles from the town’s center, 600 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 Bonanza’s climate
What is the weather like in Bonanza?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bonanza in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 164 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Bonanza get?
About 26 inches in a normal winter at Dinosaur Nm, CO, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Bonanza?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 59°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Dinosaur Nm, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Bonanza?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 146 frost-free days, at Dinosaur Nm, CO.
What growing zone is Bonanza in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bonanza?
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 Bonanza getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bonanza.
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.