Swett Ranch · Photo: JERRYE AND KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Flaming Gorge: 11 inches a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 85°. Its January nights bite harder than in 92% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.6° higher. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Flaming Gorge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Flaming Gorge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Flaming Gorge’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Flaming Gorge feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 120 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 26 and the first by September 23. Frost and day counts come from Flaming Gorge, UT, 4 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Flaming Gorge’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 44 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Flaming Gorge, UT, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January 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 Flaming Gorge
95% 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 Flaming Gorge, UT.
Living with Flaming Gorge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
120 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 26 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 1.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Flaming Gorge from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Flaming Gorge and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Flaming Gorge yet.
Climates most like Flaming Gorge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flaming Gorge, UT | 12° | 85° | 11" | 44" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 45" |
| Helena Valley West Central, MT | 15° | 85° | 11" | 37" |
| Salida, CO | 10° | 85° | 8" | 37" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
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 Flaming Gorge averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Flaming Gorge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Flaming Gorge’s place among Utah’s.
Flaming Gorge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Flaming Gorge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Flaming Gorge, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 12° | 0.5" | 8.1" | 4 | 18 | 16° – 31° |
| February | 38° | 14° | 0.6" | 8.6" | 4 | 16 | 18° – 33° |
| March | 47° | 23° | 0.8" | 6.6" | 6 | 6 | 30° – 40° |
| April | 55° | 29° | 1.2" | 3.6" | 6 | 1 | 37° – 48° |
| May | 65° | 38° | 1.4" | 0.6" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 77° | 45° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| July | 85° | 52° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| August | 82° | 50° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| September | 73° | 41° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| October | 59° | 31° | 1.2" | 2.4" | 5 | 2 | 36° – 50° |
| November | 44° | 20° | 0.6" | 6.3" | 4 | 6 | 24° – 38° |
| December | 34° | 12° | 0.6" | 7.4" | 4 | 17 | 18° – 27° |
| Year | 58° | 31° | 10.9" | 43.7" | 63 | 66 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 31°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Flaming Gorge’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 Flaming Gorge’s center.
- Snow: Flaming Gorge, UT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Flaming Gorge, UT, 4 miles from the town’s center, 680 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Flaming Gorge’s climate
What is the weather like in Flaming Gorge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Flaming Gorge in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 195 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Flaming Gorge get?
About 44 inches in a normal winter at Flaming Gorge, UT, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 66 days a year.
How hot does it get in Flaming Gorge?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 52°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Flaming Gorge, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Flaming Gorge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 26 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 120 frost-free days, at Flaming Gorge, UT.
What growing zone is Flaming Gorge 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 Flaming Gorge?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Flaming Gorge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Flaming Gorge.
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.