Photo: CosmicPenguin at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Basin: 7 inches a year
Midwinter brings lows of about 8°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 83°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 96% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Basin at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Basin’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Basin’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Basin feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 164 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Basin, WY, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Basin’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −21°. 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 20 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Basin, WY, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 7 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 50 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Basin
88% 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 Basin, WY.
Living with Basin’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
164 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by Apr 28 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, June and September. 3.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Basin from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Basin and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Basin yet.
Climates most like Basin’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basin, WY | 8° | 90° | 7" | 20" |
| Vernal, UT | 9° | 90° | 9" | 20" |
| Montrose, CO | 15° | 90° | 10" | 22" |
| Zuni Pueblo, NM | 16° | 89° | 11" | 10" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
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 Basin averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.9°).
A bigger shift than in 93% 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 Basin compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Basin’s place among Wyoming’s.
Basin weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Basin’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Basin, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 8° | 0.2" | 3.4" | 3 | 17 | 8° – 30° |
| February | 38° | 13° | 0.3" | 4.1" | 4 | 13 | 12° – 36° |
| March | 52° | 24° | 0.3" | 2.3" | 3 | 4 | 28° – 47° |
| April | 61° | 32° | 0.8" | 1.5" | 5 | 1 | 41° – 51° |
| May | 70° | 43° | 1.4" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| June | 81° | 51° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| July | 90° | 57° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 64° – 79° |
| August | 88° | 54° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 44° | 1.0" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| October | 61° | 32° | 0.8" | 1.5" | 4 | 1 | 38° – 52° |
| November | 45° | 19° | 0.3" | 3.0" | 3 | 5 | 18° – 42° |
| December | 32° | 9° | 0.3" | 4.0" | 3 | 14 | 11° – 27° |
| Year | 60° | 32° | 7.3" | 20.1" | 50 | 53 |
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 42°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Basin’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 Basin’s center.
- Snow: Basin, WY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Basin, WY, 0.6 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 Basin’s climate
What is the weather like in Basin?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Basin in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 176 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 8°.
How much snow does Basin get?
About 20 inches in a normal winter at Basin, WY, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 53 days a year.
How hot does it get in Basin?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 57°. About 49 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Basin, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Basin?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 164 frost-free days, at Basin, WY.
What growing zone is Basin in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Basin?
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 Basin getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Basin.
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.