Cedar City Railroad Depot · Photo: JunesongPRVSN · CC BY-SA 4.0Cedar City’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 60 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cedar City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cedar City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cedar City’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Cedar City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cedar City, UT, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, 390 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cedar City’s center in zone 6b: 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 60 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cedar City, UT, falls mostly in March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; October is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 63 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cedar City
88% 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 Cedar City, UT.
Living with Cedar City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 4 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: September. 30 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cedar City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cedar City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cedar City yet.
Climates most like Cedar City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar City, UT | 18° | 91° | 11" | 60" |
| Battlement Mesa, CO | 14° | 91° | 13" | 54" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
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 Cedar City averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 88% 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 Cedar City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cedar City’s place among Utah’s.
Cedar City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cedar City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cedar City, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 18° | 0.7" | 9.5" | 6 | 23° – 38° |
| February | 48° | 22° | 1.0" | 10.6" | 6 | 29° – 42° |
| March | 57° | 27° | 1.1" | 12.3" | 6 | 36° – 48° |
| April | 64° | 32° | 1.0" | 5.6" | 6 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 74° | 40° | 0.9" | 1.4" | 6 | 51° – 61° |
| June | 85° | 48° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 2 | 59° – 72° |
| July | 91° | 56° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 70° – 77° |
| August | 89° | 55° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 81° | 46° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 60° – 67° |
| October | 68° | 35° | 1.1" | 0.9" | 5 | 45° – 57° |
| November | 55° | 24° | 0.8" | 6.1" | 5 | 31° – 47° |
| December | 44° | 17° | 0.9" | 13.2" | 7 | 26° – 36° |
| Year | 66° | 35° | 10.8" | 59.6" | 63 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 47°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cedar City’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 Cedar City’s center.
- Snow: Cedar City, UT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cedar City, UT, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, 390 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 Cedar City’s climate
What is the weather like in Cedar City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 60 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cedar City in winter?
December nights average 17°. About 140 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Cedar City get?
About 60 inches in a normal winter at Cedar City, UT, most of it in March and December.
How hot does it get in Cedar City?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 56°. About 27 days a year reach 90° (Cedar City, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Cedar City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 159 frost-free days, at Cedar City, UT.
What growing zone is Cedar City in?
Zone 6b 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 Cedar City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cedar City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cedar City.
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.