Photo: Leon7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Clarkston’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Clarkston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Clarkston’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Clarkston’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Clarkston 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 3 and the first by October 12. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Trenton, UT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 470 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Cutler Dam, UT, 6 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Clarkston’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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Plymouth, UT, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 62 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Clarkston
90% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cutler Dam, UT.
Living with Clarkston’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
160 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 3 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Clarkston from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (86%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Clarkston and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Clarkston yet.
Climates most like Clarkston’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkston, UT | 18° | 88° | 17" | 7.5" |
| Zuni Pueblo, NM | 16° | 89° | 11" | 10" |
| Cold Springs, NV | 23° | 88° | 13" | 17" |
| Show Low, AZ | 19° | 86° | 15" | 19" |
| Hamilton, MT | 20° | 86° | 13" | 17" |
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 Clarkston averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.2°).
A bigger shift than in 55% 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 Clarkston compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Clarkston’s place among Utah’s.
Clarkston weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Clarkston’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Plymouth, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 18° | 1.9" | 2.5" | 6 | 13° – 35° |
| February | 38° | 22° | 1.5" | 1.8" | 7 | 19° – 39° |
| March | 49° | 30° | 1.5" | 0.6" | 6 | 32° – 45° |
| April | 57° | 36° | 1.7" | 0.4" | 6 | 42° – 52° |
| May | 67° | 43° | 2.1" | 0.1" | 8 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 78° | 50° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 58° – 70° |
| July | 88° | 57° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 62° – 78° |
| August | 86° | 56° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 3 | 66° – 74° |
| September | 76° | 47° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 58° – 65° |
| October | 61° | 36° | 1.4" | 0.2" | 5 | 39° – 55° |
| November | 45° | 27° | 1.2" | 0.3" | 5 | 28° – 42° |
| December | 33° | 19° | 1.7" | 1.6" | 6 | 19° – 33° |
| Year | 59° | 37° | 16.6" | 7.5" | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 35°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Clarkston’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 Clarkston’s center.
- Snow: Plymouth, UT.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Cutler Dam, UT, 6 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Trenton, UT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 470 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 Clarkston’s climate
What is the weather like in Clarkston?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Clarkston in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 180 nights a year reach 32° or below and 14 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Clarkston get?
About 7.5 inches in a normal winter at Plymouth, UT, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Clarkston?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 57°. About 35 days a year reach 90° (Cutler Dam, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Clarkston?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 160 frost-free days, at Cutler Dam, UT.
What growing zone is Clarkston 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 Clarkston?
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 Clarkston getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Clarkston.
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.