Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0Less rain and snow falls on Sheridan than on 93% of U.S. towns: 15 inches a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 89°. Precipitation peaks in May and eases off in December. Its January nights bite harder than in 93% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about May 21; in half of years the first frost comes by September 23.
A year in Sheridan at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sheridan’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sheridan’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Sheridan feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 123 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 21 and the first by September 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sheridan Co Airport, 1.9 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sheridan’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −21°. 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 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sheridan Fld Stn, WY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; May is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 65 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sheridan
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 Sheridan Co Airport.
Living with Sheridan’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
123 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 21 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 19 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sheridan from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sheridan and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sheridan yet.
Climates most like Sheridan’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan, WY | 11° | 89° | 15" | 33" |
| Carbondale, CO | 11° | 88° | 13" | 39" |
| Pierre, SD | 9° | 88° | 19" | 37" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
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 Sheridan averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.5°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Sheridan compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sheridan’s place among Wyoming’s.
Sheridan weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sheridan’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sheridan Fld Stn, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 11° | 0.6" | 7.8" | 4 | 22 | 14° – 34° |
| February | 39° | 13° | 0.6" | 4.2" | 4 | 18 | 13° – 37° |
| March | 50° | 23° | 0.9" | 4.5" | 5 | 9 | 24° – 46° |
| April | 58° | 30° | 1.8" | 5.3" | 7 | 3 | 38° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 39° | 2.9" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| June | 78° | 48° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| July | 89° | 54° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 77° |
| August | 87° | 52° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 76° | 43° | 1.5" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| October | 61° | 31° | 1.5" | 2.4" | 7 | 2 | 37° – 53° |
| November | 47° | 20° | 0.7" | 3.1" | 3 | 7 | 24° – 43° |
| December | 36° | 12° | 0.5" | 5.2" | 3 | 15 | 14° – 31° |
| Year | 60° | 31° | 14.8" | 33.2" | 65 | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 37°. May is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Sheridan’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 Sheridan’s center.
- Snow: Sheridan Fld Stn, WY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sheridan Co Airport, 1.9 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Sheridan’s climate
What is the weather like in Sheridan?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sheridan in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 185 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Sheridan get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Sheridan Fld Stn, WY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 75 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sheridan?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 54°. About 35 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Sheridan Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Sheridan?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 21 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 123 frost-free days, at Sheridan Co Airport.
What growing zone is Sheridan in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sheridan?
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 Sheridan getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sheridan.
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.