Photo: Paul Hermans · CC BY-SA 3.0Ten Sleep sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 11 inches a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 89°. In January, nights here are colder than in 95% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.3°, most of all in January. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 10, with the first autumn frost due around October 1.
A year in Ten Sleep at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ten Sleep’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ten Sleep’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Ten Sleep feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 141 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tensleep 4ne, WY, 4 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ten Sleep’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 52 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tensleep 4ne, WY, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ten Sleep
92% 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 Tensleep 4ne, WY.
Living with Ten Sleep’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
141 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 10 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ten Sleep from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (75%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ten Sleep and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ten Sleep yet.
Climates most like Ten Sleep’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ten Sleep, WY | 9° | 89° | 11" | 52" |
| Carbondale, CO | 11° | 88° | 13" | 39" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Heber, UT | 12° | 88° | 15" | 75" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
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 Ten Sleep averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Ten Sleep compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ten Sleep’s place among Wyoming’s.
Ten Sleep weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ten Sleep’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tensleep 4ne, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 9° | 0.4" | 9.0" | 6 | 23 | 15° – 30° |
| February | 38° | 13° | 0.4" | 9.5" | 6 | 19 | 16° – 34° |
| March | 50° | 23° | 0.7" | 5.7" | 6 | 7 | 29° – 43° |
| April | 58° | 31° | 1.2" | 5.4" | 8 | 1 | 39° – 49° |
| May | 68° | 40° | 2.0" | 1.1" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| June | 79° | 48° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 70° |
| July | 89° | 55° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 64° – 77° |
| August | 87° | 53° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 75° | 43° | 1.2" | 0.3" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| October | 60° | 31° | 1.1" | 3.5" | 7 | 1 | 36° – 51° |
| November | 46° | 20° | 0.5" | 7.6" | 6 | 8 | 22° – 43° |
| December | 35° | 10° | 0.4" | 9.5" | 6 | 20 | 13° – 28° |
| Year | 60° | 31° | 10.7" | 51.6" | 78 | 79 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Ten Sleep’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 Ten Sleep’s center.
- Snow: Tensleep 4ne, WY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tensleep 4ne, WY, 4 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Ten Sleep’s climate
What is the weather like in Ten Sleep?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 52 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ten Sleep in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 158 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Ten Sleep get?
About 52 inches in a normal winter at Tensleep 4ne, WY, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 79 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ten Sleep?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 55°. About 34 days a year reach 90° (Tensleep 4ne, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Ten Sleep?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 141 frost-free days, at Tensleep 4ne, WY.
What growing zone is Ten Sleep 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 Ten Sleep?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ten Sleep getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ten Sleep.
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.