Photo: Steven Baltakatei Sandoval · CC BY-SA 4.0White Mesa reaches 100° on about 10 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 21° on average. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 97% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.5° above 1901–2000. Garden planting can start around May 2; autumn frost returns near October 10.
A year in White Mesa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about White Mesa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with White Mesa’s place in Utah beside it.
What a year in White Mesa feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hovenweep Nm, UT, 22 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts White Mesa’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bluff, UT, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 43 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in White Mesa
82% 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 Hovenweep Nm, UT.
Living with White Mesa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by May 2 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October. 27 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in White Mesa from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →White Mesa and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around White Mesa yet.
Climates most like White Mesa’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Mesa, UT | 21° | 95° | 10" | 7.4" |
| South Valley, NM | 22° | 94° | 9" | 6.8" |
| Caldwell, ID | 24° | 93° | 11" | 9.7" |
| Ontario, OR | 23° | 93° | 10" | 15" |
| Silver Springs, NV | 23° | 95° | 5" | 4.5" |
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 White Mesa averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 62% 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 White Mesa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with White Mesa’s place among Utah’s.
White Mesa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at White Mesa’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bluff, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 21° | 1.2" | 2.5" | 4 | 4 | 24° – 39° |
| February | 49° | 26° | 0.9" | 1.6" | 4 | 1 | 33° – 45° |
| March | 60° | 32° | 0.7" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 42° – 51° |
| April | 68° | 38° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| May | 78° | 47° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| June | 90° | 56° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 95° | 63° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 75° – 83° |
| August | 92° | 62° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 74° – 80° |
| September | 83° | 53° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| October | 70° | 40° | 1.1" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 55° | 29° | 0.7" | 0.3" | 3 | 0 | 36° – 47° |
| December | 43° | 21° | 0.9" | 2.6" | 4 | 2 | 26° – 37° |
| Year | 69° | 41° | 10.1" | 7.4" | 43 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 39°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where White Mesa’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 White Mesa’s center.
- Snow: Bluff, UT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hovenweep Nm, UT, 22 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 White Mesa’s climate
What is the weather like in White Mesa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in White Mesa in winter?
December nights average 21°. About 159 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does White Mesa get?
About 7.4 inches in a normal winter at Bluff, UT, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in White Mesa?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 63°. About 78 days a year reach 90° and 10 reach 100° (Hovenweep Nm, UT).
When is the first and last frost in White Mesa?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 159 frost-free days, at Hovenweep Nm, UT.
What growing zone is White Mesa in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit White Mesa?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is White Mesa getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in White Mesa.
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.