Photo: Greg Tally - User: (WT-shared) WineCountryInn at wts wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 3.0Jackson’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 78 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Jackson at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Jackson’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Jackson’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Jackson 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 236 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 35 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Jackson, WY, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Jackson’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −23°. 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 78 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Jackson, WY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Jackson
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 Jackson, WY.
Living with Jackson’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 46 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 4.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Jackson from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (93%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Jackson and its neighbors
South Park the hottest July afternoons (81°, 1° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Jackson’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Minot, ND | 2° | 82° | 17" | 52" |
| Estes Park, CO | 11° | 79° | 19" | 118" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Jackson averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Jackson compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Jackson’s place among Wyoming’s.
Jackson weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Jackson’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Jackson, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 6° | 1.8" | 19.1" | 12 | 8° – 25° |
| February | 32° | 9° | 1.5" | 15.6" | 10 | 14° – 27° |
| March | 41° | 17° | 1.5" | 9.2" | 9 | 24° – 35° |
| April | 50° | 25° | 1.5" | 4.2" | 9 | 31° – 41° |
| May | 61° | 33° | 1.9" | 0.6" | 11 | 41° – 51° |
| June | 70° | 39° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 49° – 59° |
| July | 80° | 44° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 53° – 68° |
| August | 79° | 42° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 56° – 64° |
| September | 69° | 35° | 1.5" | 0.1" | 8 | 49° – 55° |
| October | 54° | 26° | 1.5" | 2.0" | 9 | 32° – 45° |
| November | 38° | 16° | 1.6" | 11.0" | 10 | 20° – 34° |
| December | 27° | 7° | 2.0" | 16.4" | 14 | 12° – 22° |
| Year | 52° | 25° | 18.5" | 78.2" | 116 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 8° to 25°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Jackson’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 Jackson’s center.
- Snow: Jackson, WY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Jackson, WY, 1.2 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 Jackson’s climate
What is the weather like in Jackson?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 78 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Jackson in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 236 nights a year reach 32° or below and 35 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 8°.
How much snow does Jackson get?
About 78 inches in a normal winter at Jackson, WY, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Jackson?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 44°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Jackson, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Jackson?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Jackson, WY, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 236 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 46 days.
What growing zone is Jackson in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −23°.
What is the best time of year to visit Jackson?
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 Jackson getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Jackson.
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.