Photo: Jonathan Green · CC BY-SA 4.0Thermopolis’ winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Thermopolis at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Thermopolis’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Thermopolis’ place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Thermopolis feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 152 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Thermopolis, WY, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Thermopolis’ 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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Thermopolis, WY, falls mostly in January and November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 59 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Thermopolis
90% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Thermopolis, WY.
Living with Thermopolis’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
152 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 5 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Thermopolis from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (75%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Thermopolis and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Thermopolis yet.
Climates most like Thermopolis’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermopolis, WY | 8° | 90° | 10" | 27" |
| Vernal, UT | 9° | 90° | 9" | 20" |
| Rifle, CO | 14° | 91° | 11" | 27" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
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 Thermopolis averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 64% 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 Thermopolis compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Thermopolis’ place among Wyoming’s.
Thermopolis weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Thermopolis’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Thermopolis, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 8° | 0.3" | 5.4" | 3 | 22 | 10° – 30° |
| February | 39° | 13° | 0.4" | 4.9" | 4 | 16 | 14° – 34° |
| March | 52° | 24° | 0.7" | 2.3" | 4 | 7 | 28° – 45° |
| April | 59° | 32° | 1.4" | 2.2" | 7 | 1 | 40° – 51° |
| May | 69° | 41° | 2.0" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| June | 81° | 50° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 71° |
| July | 90° | 57° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 65° – 78° |
| August | 88° | 54° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 77° | 44° | 1.0" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| October | 61° | 32° | 1.1" | 2.1" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 53° |
| November | 45° | 20° | 0.5" | 5.5" | 4 | 7 | 21° – 41° |
| December | 33° | 10° | 0.4" | 4.5" | 3 | 18 | 12° – 28° |
| Year | 60° | 32° | 10.1" | 27.4" | 59 | 72 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 34°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Thermopolis’ 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 Thermopolis’ center.
- Snow: Thermopolis, WY (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Thermopolis, WY, 0.6 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 Thermopolis’ climate
What is the weather like in Thermopolis?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Thermopolis in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 168 nights a year reach 32° or below and 14 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Thermopolis get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Thermopolis, WY, most of it in January and November, with snow on the ground about 72 days a year.
How hot does it get in Thermopolis?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 57°. About 55 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Thermopolis, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Thermopolis?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 152 frost-free days, at Thermopolis, WY.
What growing zone is Thermopolis 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 Thermopolis?
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 Thermopolis getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Thermopolis.
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.