Fort Phil Kearny and Associated Sites · Photo: Gcoudert at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5Story gets about 138 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 91 U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 82°. Winter and summer sit 66° apart. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 87% of U.S. towns. From June to September, highs of 71–82° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Story at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Story’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Story’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Story feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 120 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Story, WY, 0.5 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Story’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 138 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Story, WY, is heaviest from March through April, about 24 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Story
97% 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 Story, WY.
Living with Story’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
120 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 24 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, July, August and September. 2.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Story from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Story and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Story yet.
Climates most like Story’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story, WY | 17° | 82° | 25" | 138" |
| Park City, UT | 18° | 81° | 23" | 153" |
| Woodmoor, CO | 14° | 82° | 21" | 121" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
| South Lake Tahoe, CA | 22° | 81° | 19" | 179" |
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 Story averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.4°).
A bigger shift than in 68% 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 Story compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Story’s place among Wyoming’s.
Story weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Story’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Story, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 17° | 1.1" | 18.2" | 9 | 29 | 19° – 34° |
| February | 36° | 17° | 1.2" | 18.5" | 10 | 27 | 16° – 36° |
| March | 46° | 25° | 2.2" | 22.9" | 10 | 25 | 25° – 45° |
| April | 53° | 31° | 3.4" | 24.2" | 13 | 12 | 36° – 47° |
| May | 62° | 41° | 4.2" | 4.9" | 13 | 2 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 72° | 49° | 2.7" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| July | 82° | 57° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| August | 81° | 55° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| September | 71° | 46° | 1.9" | 2.2" | 8 | 1 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 56° | 34° | 3.0" | 13.0" | 10 | 6 | 37° – 52° |
| November | 44° | 24° | 1.6" | 16.3" | 8 | 16 | 25° – 44° |
| December | 36° | 17° | 1.2" | 17.8" | 8 | 27 | 18° – 32° |
| Year | 56° | 34° | 25.0" | 138.3" | 118 | 144 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 45°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Story’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 Story’s center.
- Snow: Story, WY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Story, WY, 0.5 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Story’s climate
What is the weather like in Story?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 138 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Story in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 193 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Story get?
About 138 inches in a normal winter at Story, WY, heaviest from March through April, about 24 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 144 days a year.
How hot does it get in Story?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 57°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Story, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Story?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 120 frost-free days, at Story, WY.
What growing zone is Story in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Story?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Story getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Story.
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.