Photo: Ntsimp · Public domainSunset’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sunset at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sunset’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sunset’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Sunset feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ogden Hinkley Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sunset’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 2°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Weber Basin Pump Plt 3, UT, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; April is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sunset
85% of the work is heating. 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 Ogden Hinkley Airport.
Living with Sunset’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 22 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sunset from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (89%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sunset and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sunset in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sunset’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunset, UT | 22° | 92° | 18" | 23" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
| Clovis, NM | 24° | 91° | 17" | 13" |
| Dodge City, KS | 20° | 93° | 23" | 19" |
| Garden City, ID | 24° | 93° | 13" | 18" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Sunset averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 74% 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 Sunset compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sunset’s place among Utah’s.
Sunset weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sunset’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Weber Basin Pump Plt 3, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 22° | 1.7" | 3.9" | 9 | 9 | 20° – 38° |
| February | 43° | 26° | 1.7" | 4.1" | 10 | 5 | 27° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 33° | 1.9" | 1.7" | 10 | 2 | 38° – 48° |
| April | 60° | 38° | 2.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 47° | 2.2" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| June | 82° | 55° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 62° – 75° |
| July | 92° | 63° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 68° – 81° |
| August | 90° | 61° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 52° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 40° | 1.7" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 30° | 1.4" | 1.3" | 8 | 1 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 38° | 22° | 1.7" | 11.3" | 9 | 8 | 23° – 35° |
| Year | 63° | 41° | 18.2" | 22.8" | 90 | 25 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 38°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sunset’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 Sunset’s center.
- Snow: Weber Basin Pump Plt 3, UT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ogden Hinkley Airport, 4 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 Sunset’s climate
What is the weather like in Sunset?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 85% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sunset in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 121 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Sunset get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Weber Basin Pump Plt 3, UT, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 25 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sunset?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 63°. About 49 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Ogden Hinkley Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Sunset?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 180 frost-free days, at Ogden Hinkley Airport.
What growing zone is Sunset in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sunset?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sunset getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sunset.
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.