Inyan Kara Mountain · Photo: User:Runner1928 · CC0Sundance gets about 81 inches of snow a winter, more than 95% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 81 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sundance at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sundance’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sundance’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Sundance feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 124 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 21 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sundance, WY, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sundance’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 81 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sundance, WY, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 21 inches a year; May is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 108 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sundance
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 Sundance, WY.
Living with Sundance’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
124 frost-free days in zone 5a. 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 1.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sundance from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (32%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sundance and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sundance yet.
Climates most like Sundance’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sundance, WY | 12° | 83° | 21" | 81" |
| Bozeman, MT | 13° | 83° | 17" | 91" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Gleneagle, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
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 Sundance averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°).
A bigger shift than in 62% 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 Sundance compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sundance’s place among Wyoming’s.
Sundance weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sundance’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sundance, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 12° | 0.8" | 12.9" | 9 | 24 | 15° – 35° |
| February | 36° | 13° | 0.9" | 14.7" | 9 | 21 | 8° – 34° |
| March | 46° | 21° | 1.1" | 10.3" | 9 | 12 | 22° – 44° |
| April | 54° | 29° | 2.4" | 13.2" | 12 | 5 | 35° – 47° |
| May | 63° | 38° | 3.3" | 1.5" | 13 | 0 | 43° – 56° |
| June | 75° | 48° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| July | 83° | 54° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 60° – 75° |
| August | 82° | 52° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 43° | 1.3" | 0.9" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| October | 57° | 31° | 1.8" | 5.8" | 9 | 3 | 34° – 50° |
| November | 44° | 21° | 0.9" | 9.8" | 8 | 8 | 22° – 43° |
| December | 35° | 13° | 0.7" | 12.2" | 8 | 18 | 14° – 30° |
| Year | 57° | 31° | 20.5" | 81.3" | 108 | 92 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 8° to 34°. August is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Sundance’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 Sundance’s center.
- Snow: Sundance, WY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sundance, WY, 0.7 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 Sundance’s climate
What is the weather like in Sundance?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 81 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sundance in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 179 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 15°.
How much snow does Sundance get?
About 81 inches in a normal winter at Sundance, WY, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 92 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sundance?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 54°. About 19 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Sundance, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Sundance?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 21 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 124 frost-free days, at Sundance, WY.
What growing zone is Sundance in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sundance?
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 Sundance getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sundance.
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.