Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainJoseph is among the driest of U.S. towns: 10 inches of precipitation a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 90° on average. Its January nights bite harder than in 81% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.5° higher. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Joseph at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Joseph’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Joseph’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Joseph feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 106 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 4 and the first by September 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fremont Indian Sp, UT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 420 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Joseph’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Richfield Radio Ksvc, UT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; October is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 67 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Joseph
95% 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 Fremont Indian Sp, UT.
Living with Joseph’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
106 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 4 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 and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Joseph from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Joseph and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Joseph yet.
Climates most like Joseph’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph, UT | 16° | 90° | 10" | 18" |
| Montrose, CO | 15° | 90° | 10" | 22" |
| Española, NM | 17° | 90° | 11" | 11" |
| Snowflake, AZ | 20° | 90° | 10" | 13" |
| Rupert, ID | 20° | 89° | 10" | 21" |
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 Joseph averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 56% 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 Joseph compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Joseph’s place among Utah’s.
Joseph weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Joseph’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Richfield Radio Ksvc, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 16° | 0.7" | 4.3" | 5 | 10 | 21° – 35° |
| February | 46° | 20° | 0.7" | 3.4" | 6 | 4 | 28° – 41° |
| March | 55° | 27° | 0.8" | 2.0" | 6 | 1 | 36° – 46° |
| April | 62° | 32° | 0.9" | 0.6" | 7 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 72° | 39° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 84° | 47° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| July | 90° | 55° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| August | 88° | 53° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 79° | 44° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| October | 66° | 33° | 1.1" | 0.3" | 6 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 52° | 23° | 0.7" | 2.4" | 5 | 1 | 30° – 46° |
| December | 41° | 15° | 0.7" | 4.7" | 5 | 7 | 22° – 33° |
| Year | 65° | 34° | 9.9" | 17.8" | 67 | 23 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 46°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Joseph’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 Joseph’s center.
- Snow: Richfield Radio Ksvc, UT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fremont Indian Sp, UT, 7 miles from the town’s center, 420 ft higher; 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 Joseph’s climate
What is the weather like in Joseph?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 81% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Joseph in winter?
December nights average 15°. About 207 nights a year reach 32° or below and 12 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Joseph get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Richfield Radio Ksvc, UT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 23 days a year.
How hot does it get in Joseph?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 55°. About 45 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Fremont Indian Sp, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Joseph?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 4 and the first fall frost by September 21, about 106 frost-free days, at Fremont Indian Sp, UT.
What growing zone is Joseph in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Joseph?
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 Joseph getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Joseph.
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.