Tony Grove Ranger Station Historic District · Photo: 25or6to4 · CC BY-SA 4.0Garden gets about 84 inches of snow a winter, more than 96% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 79°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.5°, most of all in March. The heating season runs October to May: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Garden at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Garden’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Garden’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Garden feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 119 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 28 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from Laketown, UT, 6 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Garden’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 84 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Laketown, UT, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Garden
98% 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 Laketown, UT.
Living with Garden’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
119 frost-free days in zone 5a. 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 61 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Garden 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 and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Garden yet.
Climates most like Garden’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, UT | 13° | 79° | 20" | 84" |
| Estes Park, CO | 11° | 79° | 19" | 118" |
| Whitefish, MT | 17° | 82° | 18" | 63" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
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 averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 57% 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 compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Garden’s place among Utah’s.
Garden weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Garden’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Laketown, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 13° | 2.2" | 19.5" | 8 | 24 | 16° – 30° |
| February | 33° | 15° | 2.0" | 16.4" | 7 | 22 | 17° – 32° |
| March | 42° | 23° | 1.8" | 11.0" | 8 | 11 | 26° – 38° |
| April | 50° | 29° | 1.9" | 7.1" | 8 | 2 | 33° – 45° |
| May | 59° | 37° | 2.3" | 1.2" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| June | 69° | 43° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| July | 79° | 51° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| August | 78° | 49° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| September | 68° | 41° | 1.3" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| October | 54° | 31° | 1.7" | 2.5" | 7 | 1 | 34° – 48° |
| November | 40° | 22° | 1.7" | 9.2" | 7 | 6 | 23° – 38° |
| December | 30° | 15° | 2.1" | 16.7" | 8 | 20 | 17° – 27° |
| Year | 53° | 31° | 19.8" | 83.9" | 79 | 85 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 32°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Garden’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’s center.
- Snow: Laketown, UT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Laketown, UT, 6 miles from the town’s center, 810 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 Garden’s climate
What is the weather like in Garden?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 84 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Garden in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 190 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Garden get?
About 84 inches in a normal winter at Laketown, UT, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 85 days a year.
How hot does it get in Garden?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 51°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Laketown, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Garden?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 28 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 119 frost-free days, at Laketown, UT.
What growing zone is Garden 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?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Garden getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 57% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Garden.
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.