Hillsdale is drier than 93% of U.S. towns: 16 inches of precipitation a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 86°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 71° apart. In January, nights here are colder than in 83% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Hillsdale at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hillsdale’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hillsdale’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Hillsdale feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 133 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 14 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Carpenter 3n, WY, 10 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hillsdale’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 47 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Archer, WY, falls mostly in March and November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hillsdale
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 Carpenter 3n, WY.
Living with Hillsdale’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
133 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hillsdale from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 28%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hillsdale and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hillsdale yet.
Climates most like Hillsdale’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsdale, WY | 16° | 86° | 16" | 47" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Rapid Valley, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 49" |
| Missoula, MT | 18° | 86° | 14" | 43" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
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 Hillsdale averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+4.2°).
A bigger shift than in 84% 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 Hillsdale compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hillsdale’s place among Wyoming’s.
Hillsdale weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hillsdale’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Archer, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 16° | 0.3" | 5.6" | 4 | 21° – 35° |
| February | 42° | 16° | 0.5" | 6.2" | 5 | 22° – 36° |
| March | 52° | 23° | 1.0" | 8.0" | 7 | 30° – 45° |
| April | 58° | 29° | 1.7" | 7.1" | 8 | 37° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 38° | 2.6" | 1.7" | 11 | 46° – 57° |
| June | 79° | 47° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 58° – 69° |
| July | 86° | 54° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 65° – 74° |
| August | 84° | 52° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 64° – 72° |
| September | 76° | 43° | 1.4" | 1.2" | 8 | 54° – 64° |
| October | 62° | 31° | 1.1" | 4.1" | 6 | 38° – 53° |
| November | 49° | 22° | 0.6" | 7.6" | 6 | 25° – 43° |
| December | 41° | 15° | 0.4" | 5.6" | 4 | 20° – 32° |
| Year | 61° | 32° | 15.6" | 47.1" | 90 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Hillsdale’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 Hillsdale’s center.
- Snow: Archer, WY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Carpenter 3n, WY, 10 miles from the town’s center, 240 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 Hillsdale’s climate
What is the weather like in Hillsdale?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hillsdale in winter?
December nights average 15°. About 176 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Hillsdale get?
About 47 inches in a normal winter at Archer, WY, most of it in March and November.
How hot does it get in Hillsdale?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 54°. About 27 days a year reach 90° (Carpenter 3n, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Hillsdale?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 14 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 133 frost-free days, at Carpenter 3n, WY.
What growing zone is Hillsdale in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hillsdale?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Hillsdale getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hillsdale.
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.