Leigh Lake Ranger Patrol Cabin · Photo: National Park Service inventory · Public domainAlta gets about 113 inches of snow a winter, more than 98% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 78°. Temperatures cover 71° across the year, low to high. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 96% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit July and August, with highs of 78°.
A year in Alta at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alta’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alta’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Alta feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 85 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 14 and the first by September 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Alta 1 Nnw, WY, 0.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alta’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 113 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alta 1 Nnw, WY, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 inches a year; January is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alta
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Alta 1 Nnw, WY.
Living with Alta’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
85 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 14 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 3.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alta from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (89%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alta and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alta yet.
Climates most like Alta’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alta, WY | 8° | 78° | 29" | 113" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| Minocqua, WI | 3° | 77° | 33" | 99" |
| Woodland Park, CO | 11° | 77° | 22" | 134" |
| Hermantown, MN | 2° | 77° | 31" | 90" |
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 Alta averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 69% 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 Alta compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alta’s place among Wyoming’s.
Alta weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alta’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alta 1 Nnw, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 8° | 3.4" | 21.7" | 9 | 31 | 10° – 25° |
| February | 31° | 10° | 2.6" | 16.2" | 8 | 29 | 15° – 28° |
| March | 40° | 18° | 2.6" | 15.3" | 9 | 30 | 23° – 35° |
| April | 48° | 25° | 2.8" | 13.5" | 9 | 18 | 30° – 42° |
| May | 59° | 33° | 2.8" | 2.5" | 10 | 1 | 39° – 51° |
| June | 68° | 39° | 2.2" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 48° – 60° |
| July | 78° | 45° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 52° – 68° |
| August | 78° | 43° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| September | 67° | 36° | 1.7" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 48° – 56° |
| October | 52° | 27° | 2.2" | 5.9" | 7 | 3 | 31° – 46° |
| November | 37° | 17° | 2.7" | 15.8" | 8 | 16 | 18° – 36° |
| December | 27° | 9° | 3.3" | 21.7" | 9 | 30 | 13° – 23° |
| Year | 51° | 26° | 28.7" | 113.4" | 94 | 158 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 36°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Alta’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 Alta’s center.
- Snow: Alta 1 Nnw, WY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Alta 1 Nnw, WY, 0.1 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 Alta’s climate
What is the weather like in Alta?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 113 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alta in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 204 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Alta get?
About 113 inches in a normal winter at Alta 1 Nnw, WY, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 158 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alta?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 45°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Alta 1 Nnw, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Alta?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 14 and the first fall frost by September 11, about 85 frost-free days, at Alta 1 Nnw, WY.
What growing zone is Alta in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alta?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alta getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alta.
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.