Desolation Canyon · Public domainEast Carbon sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 12 inches a year
In January the night’s low is typically 13°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 89% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.7° higher. Garden planting can start around May 3; autumn frost returns near October 12.
A year in East Carbon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about East Carbon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with East Carbon’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in East Carbon 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. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Price Carbon Co Airport, 18 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts East Carbon’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wellington 3 E, UT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; September is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 56 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in East Carbon
90% 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 Price Carbon Co Airport.
Living with East Carbon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
160 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 and September. 31 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in East Carbon from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (58%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →East Carbon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around East Carbon yet.
Climates most like East Carbon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Carbon, UT | 13° | 91° | 12" | 22" |
| Fort Morgan, CO | 14° | 91° | 14" | 23" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
| White Rock, NM | 18° | 89° | 13" | 20" |
| Sidney, NE | 15° | 89° | 17" | 29" |
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 East Carbon averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 71% 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 East Carbon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with East Carbon’s place among Utah’s.
East Carbon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at East Carbon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wellington 3 E, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 13° | 0.9" | 6.4" | 4 | 16 | 18° – 33° |
| February | 43° | 19° | 0.8" | 4.7" | 4 | 9 | 24° – 40° |
| March | 54° | 28° | 0.8" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 36° – 47° |
| April | 62° | 33° | 0.9" | 0.7" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| May | 72° | 42° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 84° | 51° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| July | 91° | 58° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| August | 87° | 56° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 79° | 47° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| October | 64° | 35° | 1.5" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| November | 49° | 24° | 0.6" | 1.7" | 3 | 1 | 29° – 43° |
| December | 37° | 14° | 0.9" | 6.4" | 4 | 10 | 20° – 32° |
| Year | 63° | 35° | 11.8" | 21.5" | 56 | 37 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 33°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where East Carbon’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 East Carbon’s center.
- Snow: Wellington 3 E, UT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Price Carbon Co Airport, 18 miles from the town’s center, 160 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 East Carbon’s climate
What is the weather like in East Carbon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in East Carbon in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 154 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does East Carbon get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Wellington 3 E, UT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 37 days a year.
How hot does it get in East Carbon?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 58°. About 45 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Price Carbon Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in East Carbon?
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 Price Carbon Co Airport.
What growing zone is East Carbon in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit East Carbon?
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 East Carbon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in East Carbon.
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.