Photo: Flickr user Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Ephraim: 12 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 14° on average. Temperatures cover 76° across the year, low to high. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 88% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Ephraim at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ephraim’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ephraim’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Ephraim feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 113 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 28 and the first by September 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ephraim, UT, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ephraim’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 20 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ephraim, UT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 69 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ephraim
94% 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 Ephraim, UT.
Living with Ephraim’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
113 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 28 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 5.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ephraim from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ephraim and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ephraim yet.
Climates most like Ephraim’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ephraim, UT | 14° | 89° | 12" | 20" |
| Montrose, CO | 15° | 90° | 10" | 22" |
| White Rock, NM | 18° | 89° | 13" | 20" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
| Blackfoot, ID | 16° | 88° | 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 Ephraim averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 50% 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 Ephraim compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ephraim’s place among Utah’s.
Ephraim weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ephraim’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ephraim, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 14° | 0.9" | 4.1" | 6 | 15° – 32° |
| February | 43° | 19° | 1.0" | 2.8" | 7 | 24° – 39° |
| March | 54° | 27° | 1.1" | 2.6" | 7 | 35° – 46° |
| April | 61° | 31° | 1.2" | 0.7" | 7 | 42° – 52° |
| May | 71° | 39° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 6 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 82° | 47° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 58° – 70° |
| July | 89° | 54° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 67° – 76° |
| August | 87° | 53° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 79° | 44° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 57° – 65° |
| October | 65° | 33° | 1.1" | 0.1" | 5 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 51° | 23° | 0.9" | 1.4" | 5 | 29° – 43° |
| December | 37° | 14° | 1.1" | 8.0" | 7 | 18° – 31° |
| Year | 63° | 33° | 11.7" | 19.8" | 69 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 32°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Ephraim’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 Ephraim’s center.
- Snow: Ephraim, UT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ephraim, UT, 0.7 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 Ephraim’s climate
What is the weather like in Ephraim?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ephraim in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 187 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 15°.
How much snow does Ephraim get?
About 20 inches in a normal winter at Ephraim, UT, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Ephraim?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 54°. About 48 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Ephraim, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Ephraim?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 28 and the first fall frost by September 20, about 113 frost-free days, at Ephraim, UT.
What growing zone is Ephraim in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ephraim?
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 Ephraim getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 50% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ephraim.
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.