Photo: Danenlott · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Duchesne: 9 inches a year
July afternoons average 88°. Winter and summer sit 79° apart. In January, nights here are colder than in 95% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Duchesne at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Duchesne’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Duchesne’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Duchesne feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 150 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Duchesne, UT, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Duchesne’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 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Duchesne, UT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 9 inches a year; August is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 67 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Duchesne
93% 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 Duchesne, UT.
Living with Duchesne’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
150 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 6 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: June and September. 3.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Duchesne from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Duchesne and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Duchesne yet.
Climates most like Duchesne’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duchesne, UT | 9° | 88° | 9" | 29" |
| Carbondale, CO | 11° | 88° | 13" | 39" |
| Sheridan, WY | 11° | 89° | 15" | 33" |
| Gallup, NM | 17° | 88° | 10" | 34" |
| Shelley, ID | 14° | 87° | 11" | 15" |
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 Duchesne averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 93% 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 Duchesne compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Duchesne’s place among Utah’s.
Duchesne weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Duchesne’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Duchesne, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 9° | 0.5" | 7.2" | 5 | 18 | 9° – 29° |
| February | 40° | 15° | 0.5" | 5.9" | 5 | 12 | 18° – 37° |
| March | 52° | 25° | 0.6" | 2.8" | 4 | 3 | 32° – 45° |
| April | 61° | 31° | 0.8" | 1.6" | 6 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| May | 71° | 40° | 1.0" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 81° | 47° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| July | 88° | 54° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| August | 85° | 52° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 76° | 44° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| October | 63° | 33° | 1.0" | 0.6" | 6 | 0 | 41° – 54° |
| November | 47° | 21° | 0.5" | 2.9" | 4 | 3 | 26° – 41° |
| December | 34° | 11° | 0.5" | 7.9" | 5 | 13 | 11° – 30° |
| Year | 61° | 32° | 9.0" | 29.1" | 67 | 49 |
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 29°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Duchesne’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 Duchesne’s center.
- Snow: Duchesne, UT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Duchesne, UT, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Duchesne’s climate
What is the weather like in Duchesne?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Duchesne in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 171 nights a year reach 32° or below and 12 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Duchesne get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Duchesne, UT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 49 days a year.
How hot does it get in Duchesne?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 54°. About 19 days a year reach 90° (Duchesne, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Duchesne?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 150 frost-free days, at Duchesne, UT.
What growing zone is Duchesne 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 Duchesne?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Duchesne getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Duchesne.
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.