Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainHardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Point of Rocks: 8 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 10° on average. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 94% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Plan time outside for June and August, when highs sit at 77–83°.
A year in Point of Rocks at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Point of Rocks’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Point of Rocks’ place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Point of Rocks feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 126 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 22 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rock Springs Airport, 16 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Point of Rocks’ center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rock Springs Airport, falls mostly in January and April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 8 inches a year; May is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Point of Rocks
96% 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 Rock Springs Airport.
Living with Point of Rocks’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
126 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 22 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and August. 4.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Point of Rocks from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Point of Rocks and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Point of Rocks yet.
Climates most like Point of Rocks’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point of Rocks, WY | 10° | 86° | 8" | 54" |
| Salida, CO | 10° | 85° | 8" | 37" |
| Rigby, ID | 12° | 85° | 12" | 66" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
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 Point of Rocks averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 75% 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 Point of Rocks compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Point of Rocks’ place among Wyoming’s.
Point of Rocks weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Point of Rocks’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rock Springs Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 10° | 0.4" | 8.2" | 5 | 18 | 11° – 29° |
| February | 35° | 12° | 0.4" | 7.9" | 5 | 16 | 12° – 31° |
| March | 45° | 21° | 0.5" | 6.4" | 7 | 7 | 27° – 39° |
| April | 54° | 27° | 0.9" | 8.8" | 8 | 2 | 35° – 46° |
| May | 65° | 36° | 1.3" | 2.7" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| June | 77° | 44° | 0.8" | 0.4" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| July | 86° | 51° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| August | 83° | 49° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| September | 73° | 40° | 0.9" | 1.2" | 6 | 1 | 52° – 60° |
| October | 58° | 29° | 0.8" | 6.6" | 6 | 2 | 36° – 50° |
| November | 42° | 18° | 0.4" | 6.0" | 5 | 7 | 19° – 37° |
| December | 31° | 10° | 0.3" | 5.8" | 5 | 17 | 14° – 27° |
| Year | 57° | 29° | 7.9" | 54.0" | 72 | 69 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 31°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Point of Rocks’ 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 Point of Rocks’ center.
- Snow: Rock Springs Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rock Springs Airport, 16 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 Point of Rocks’ climate
What is the weather like in Point of Rocks?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Point of Rocks in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 189 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 11°.
How much snow does Point of Rocks get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at Rock Springs Airport, most of it in January and April, with snow on the ground about 69 days a year.
How hot does it get in Point of Rocks?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 51°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Rock Springs Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Point of Rocks?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 22 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 126 frost-free days, at Rock Springs Airport.
What growing zone is Point of Rocks in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Point of Rocks?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Point of Rocks getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Point of Rocks.
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.