Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0Garden City sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
High summer brings afternoon highs near 84°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 94% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.5°, most of all in March. Radiators earn their keep from October to May, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Garden City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Garden City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Garden City’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Garden City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 123 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 19 and the first by September 21. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bear Lake Sp, UT, 2.0 miles from the town’s center, 390 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Lifton Pumping Stn, ID, 14 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Garden City’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lifton Pumping Stn, ID, is heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 89 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Garden City
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Lifton Pumping Stn, ID.
Living with Garden City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
123 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 19 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 16 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Garden City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Garden City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Garden City yet.
Climates most like Garden City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City, UT | 8° | 84° | 14" | 37" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
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 Garden City averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Garden City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Garden City’s place among Utah’s.
Garden City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Garden City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lifton Pumping Stn, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 8° | 1.4" | 9.1" | 8 | 29 | 13° – 27° |
| February | 33° | 10° | 1.2" | 8.8" | 9 | 26 | 15° – 29° |
| March | 43° | 20° | 1.1" | 4.1" | 9 | 19 | 25° – 38° |
| April | 53° | 27° | 1.3" | 2.7" | 9 | 3 | 33° – 46° |
| May | 63° | 35° | 1.8" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| June | 74° | 41° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| July | 84° | 48° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| August | 82° | 46° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| September | 72° | 37° | 1.1" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| October | 58° | 28° | 1.3" | 1.1" | 7 | 1 | 34° – 49° |
| November | 42° | 19° | 1.1" | 4.1" | 8 | 7 | 23° – 38° |
| December | 31° | 10° | 1.3" | 7.2" | 8 | 22 | 16° – 25° |
| Year | 55° | 27° | 14.0" | 37.4" | 89 | 107 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 38°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Garden City’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 Garden City’s center.
- Snow: Lifton Pumping Stn, ID.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Lifton Pumping Stn, ID, 14 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Bear Lake Sp, UT, 2.0 miles from the town’s center, 390 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 Garden City’s climate
What is the weather like in Garden City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Garden City in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 174 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Garden City get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Lifton Pumping Stn, ID, heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 107 days a year.
How hot does it get in Garden City?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 48°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Lifton Pumping Stn, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Garden City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 19 and the first fall frost by September 21, about 123 frost-free days, at Lifton Pumping Stn, ID.
What growing zone is Garden City in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Garden City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Garden City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Garden City.
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.