Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Big Piney has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 82°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than almost every U.S. town. March has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.1° rise. For walks and days out, July and August bring highs of 80–82°.
A year in Big Piney at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Big Piney’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Big Piney’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Big Piney feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 250 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 57 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Big Piney Marbleton Airport, 3 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Big Piney’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −28°. 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 34 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at La Barge, WY, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 8 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 45 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Big Piney
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. 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 Big Piney Marbleton Airport.
Living with Big Piney’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 52 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Big Piney from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Big Piney and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Big Piney yet.
Climates most like Big Piney’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Piney, WY | −1° | 82° | 8" | 34" |
| Alamosa, CO | 3° | 82° | 8" | 30" |
| Williston, ND | 2° | 84° | 15" | 48" |
| Sidney, MT | 4° | 85° | 15" | 30" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
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 Big Piney averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Big Piney compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Big Piney’s place among Wyoming’s.
Big Piney weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Big Piney’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from La Barge, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | −1° | 0.3" | 5.2" | 3 | 19 | 4° – 21° |
| February | 30° | 2° | 0.4" | 6.0" | 3 | 20 | 8° – 26° |
| March | 41° | 14° | 0.4" | 4.2" | 3 | 8 | 19° – 34° |
| April | 51° | 22° | 0.7" | 4.8" | 4 | 2 | 30° – 43° |
| May | 62° | 30° | 1.2" | 1.2" | 6 | 0 | 39° – 51° |
| June | 73° | 37° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| July | 82° | 43° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| August | 80° | 40° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| September | 70° | 32° | 0.8" | 1.2" | 4 | 0 | 47° – 55° |
| October | 56° | 23° | 0.7" | 3.3" | 3 | 2 | 30° – 45° |
| November | 40° | 11° | 0.4" | 2.4" | 2 | 6 | 17° – 32° |
| December | 28° | 1° | 0.3" | 5.5" | 3 | 15 | 9° – 21° |
| Year | 53° | 21° | 7.5" | 33.8" | 45 | 73 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 8° to 26°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Big Piney’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 Big Piney’s center.
- Snow: La Barge, WY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Big Piney Marbleton Airport, 3 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher; 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 Big Piney’s climate
What is the weather like in Big Piney?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to −1°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 38 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Big Piney in winter?
January nights average −1°. About 250 nights a year reach 32° or below and 57 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Big Piney get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at La Barge, WY, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 73 days a year.
How hot does it get in Big Piney?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 43°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Big Piney Marbleton Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Big Piney?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Big Piney Marbleton Airport, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 250 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 52 days.
What growing zone is Big Piney in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −28°.
What is the best time of year to visit Big Piney?
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 Big Piney getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Big Piney.
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.