Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Wilson’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 78 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Wilson at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wilson’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wilson’s place in Wyoming beside it.
What a year in Wilson feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 236 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 35 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Jackson, WY, 8 miles from the town’s center, 490 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wilson’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 78 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Jackson, WY, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wilson
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Jackson, WY.
Living with Wilson’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 6a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 46 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 34 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wilson from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (88%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wilson and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Wilson yet.
Climates most like Wilson’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson, WY | 8° | 79° | 24" | 78" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Ashland, WI | 6° | 78° | 31" | 74" |
| Estes Park, CO | 11° | 79° | 19" | 118" |
| St. Joseph, MN | 3° | 81° | 30" | 57" |
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 Wilson averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 72% 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 Wilson compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wilson’s place among Wyoming’s.
Wilson weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wilson’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Jackson, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 8° | 2.7" | 19.1" | 12 | 11° – 25° |
| February | 32° | 10° | 2.2" | 15.6" | 10 | 15° – 27° |
| March | 41° | 18° | 2.0" | 9.2" | 9 | 24° – 35° |
| April | 50° | 25° | 2.0" | 4.2" | 9 | 32° – 42° |
| May | 61° | 33° | 2.2" | 0.6" | 11 | 41° – 51° |
| June | 70° | 39° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 49° – 60° |
| July | 79° | 45° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 53° – 68° |
| August | 79° | 43° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 56° – 64° |
| September | 69° | 35° | 1.5" | 0.1" | 8 | 49° – 56° |
| October | 54° | 27° | 1.9" | 2.0" | 9 | 32° – 46° |
| November | 38° | 17° | 2.3" | 11.0" | 10 | 20° – 35° |
| December | 28° | 8° | 2.9" | 16.4" | 14 | 13° – 23° |
| Year | 52° | 26° | 23.7" | 78.2" | 116 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 35°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Wilson’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 Wilson’s center.
- Snow: Jackson, WY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Jackson, WY, 8 miles from the town’s center, 490 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 Wilson’s climate
What is the weather like in Wilson?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 78 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wilson in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 236 nights a year reach 32° or below and 35 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 11°.
How much snow does Wilson get?
About 78 inches in a normal winter at Jackson, WY, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Wilson?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 45°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Jackson, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Wilson?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Jackson, WY, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 236 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 46 days.
What growing zone is Wilson in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Wilson?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Wilson getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wilson.
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.