Fort Washakie Historic District · Photo: Clayton B. Fraser · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Fort Washakie
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 86°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 95% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.3°, most of all in January. Radiators earn their keep from October to April, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Fort Washakie at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fort Washakie’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fort Washakie’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Fort Washakie feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 131 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lander Hunt Fld Airport, 16 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fort Washakie’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 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Diversion Dam, WY, is heaviest from February through April, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 48 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Washakie
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Lander Hunt Fld Airport.
Living with Fort Washakie’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
131 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 18 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June. 10 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fort Washakie from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fort Washakie and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fort Washakie yet.
Climates most like Fort Washakie’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Washakie, WY | 7° | 86° | 13" | 29" |
| Sidney, MT | 4° | 85° | 15" | 30" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
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 Fort Washakie averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Fort Washakie compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fort Washakie’s place among Wyoming’s.
Fort Washakie weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fort Washakie’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Diversion Dam, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 7° | 0.4" | 3.3" | 2 | 14° – 27° |
| February | 38° | 10° | 0.6" | 4.9" | 2 | 15° – 31° |
| March | 49° | 20° | 1.1" | 4.9" | 3 | 28° – 41° |
| April | 56° | 28° | 1.9" | 5.1" | 6 | 37° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 37° | 2.9" | 1.0" | 8 | 45° – 56° |
| June | 77° | 44° | 1.3" | 0.1" | 6 | 53° – 65° |
| July | 86° | 50° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 60° – 72° |
| August | 84° | 48° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 62° – 70° |
| September | 73° | 40° | 1.2" | 0.5" | 5 | 52° – 61° |
| October | 59° | 29° | 1.4" | 2.2" | 4 | 36° – 50° |
| November | 44° | 17° | 0.6" | 3.8" | 2 | 19° – 40° |
| December | 34° | 7° | 0.5" | 3.0" | 2 | 13° – 25° |
| Year | 58° | 28° | 13.2" | 28.8" | 48 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Fort Washakie’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 Fort Washakie’s center.
- Snow: Diversion Dam, WY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lander Hunt Fld Airport, 16 miles from the town’s center, 160 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 Fort Washakie’s climate
What is the weather like in Fort Washakie?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fort Washakie in winter?
December nights average 7°. About 180 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Fort Washakie get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Diversion Dam, WY, heaviest from February through April, about 5 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Fort Washakie?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 50°. About 30 days a year reach 90° (Lander Hunt Fld Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Fort Washakie?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 131 frost-free days, at Lander Hunt Fld Airport.
What growing zone is Fort Washakie 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 Fort Washakie?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fort Washakie getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fort Washakie.
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.