Transcontinental Railroad Grade · Photo: An Errant Knight · CC BY-SA 4.0Thatcher is drier than 93% of U.S. towns: 15 inches of precipitation a year
Deep winter brings January lows near 18°. Temperatures cover 72° across the year, low to high. Its July heat outdoes that of 77% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season, with highs of 69–80°, runs through May, June and September.
A year in Thatcher at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Thatcher’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Thatcher’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in Thatcher feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 128 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 17 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Thiokol Propulsion F S, UT, 6 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Thatcher’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 40 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tremonton, UT, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; May is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 86 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Thatcher
93% 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 Thiokol Propulsion F S, UT.
Living with Thatcher’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
128 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 17 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: May, June and September. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Thatcher from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Thatcher and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Thatcher yet.
Climates most like Thatcher’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thatcher, UT | 18° | 90° | 15" | 40" |
| Commerce City, CO | 17° | 90° | 14" | 35" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
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 Thatcher averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 66% 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 Thatcher compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Thatcher’s place among Utah’s.
Thatcher weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Thatcher’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tremonton, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 18° | 1.6" | 12.2" | 10 | 20 | 15° – 35° |
| February | 40° | 22° | 1.3" | 8.7" | 9 | 17 | 20° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 31° | 1.3" | 2.8" | 7 | 4 | 34° – 46° |
| April | 58° | 36° | 1.5" | 0.8" | 9 | 1 | 42° – 53° |
| May | 69° | 44° | 1.9" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 80° | 51° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| July | 90° | 59° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 65° – 79° |
| August | 88° | 58° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 48° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| October | 62° | 37° | 1.3" | 0.5" | 7 | 1 | 41° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 27° | 1.0" | 4.4" | 7 | 4 | 29° – 43° |
| December | 36° | 19° | 1.5" | 10.9" | 9 | 13 | 20° – 35° |
| Year | 61° | 37° | 14.7" | 40.4" | 86 | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 41°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Thatcher’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 Thatcher’s center.
- Snow: Tremonton, UT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Thiokol Propulsion F S, UT, 6 miles from the town’s center, 190 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 Thatcher’s climate
What is the weather like in Thatcher?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Thatcher in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 179 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Thatcher get?
About 40 inches in a normal winter at Tremonton, UT, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 58 days a year.
How hot does it get in Thatcher?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 59°. About 58 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Thiokol Propulsion F S, UT).
When is the first and last frost in Thatcher?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 17 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 128 frost-free days, at Thiokol Propulsion F S, UT.
What growing zone is Thatcher 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 Thatcher?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Thatcher getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Thatcher.
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.