Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Loa: 10 inches a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 84°. Precipitation peaks in August and eases off in November. In January, nights here are colder than in 93% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 31, with the first autumn frost due around September 21.
A year in Loa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Loa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Loa’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Loa feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 112 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first by September 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Loa, UT, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Loa’s center in zone 6a: 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 19 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Loa, UT, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; August is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 54 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Loa
98% 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 Loa, UT.
Living with Loa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
112 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 31 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. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Loa from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Loa and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Loa yet.
Climates most like Loa’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loa, UT | 10° | 84° | 10" | 19" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Shelley, ID | 14° | 87° | 11" | 15" |
| Salida, CO | 10° | 85° | 8" | 37" |
| Powell, WY | 11° | 87° | 7" | 11" |
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 Loa averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 67% 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 Loa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Loa’s place among Utah’s.
Loa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Loa’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Loa, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 10° | 0.6" | 3.9" | 4 | 19° – 30° |
| February | 42° | 14° | 0.5" | 5.4" | 4 | 22° – 35° |
| March | 50° | 21° | 0.8" | 2.2" | 4 | 31° – 41° |
| April | 56° | 27° | 0.6" | 0.7" | 3 | 37° – 47° |
| May | 66° | 35° | 0.8" | 0.5" | 6 | 45° – 55° |
| June | 78° | 42° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 2 | 54° – 65° |
| July | 84° | 49° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 63° – 70° |
| August | 81° | 48° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 61° – 69° |
| September | 73° | 39° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 52° – 60° |
| October | 61° | 28° | 1.0" | 0.4" | 5 | 39° – 51° |
| November | 49° | 18° | 0.5" | 1.5" | 3 | 25° – 40° |
| December | 39° | 10° | 0.6" | 4.6" | 4 | 19° – 31° |
| Year | 60° | 28° | 9.5" | 19.2" | 54 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 40°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Loa’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 Loa’s center.
- Snow: Loa, UT (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Loa, UT, 0.2 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 Loa’s climate
What is the weather like in Loa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Loa in winter?
December nights average 10°. About 215 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Loa get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Loa, UT, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Loa?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 49°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Loa, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Loa?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 31 and the first fall frost by September 21, about 112 frost-free days, at Loa, UT.
What growing zone is Loa in?
Zone 6a 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 Loa?
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 Loa getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Loa.
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.