Bonners Ferry, ID Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Bonners Ferry's primary NOAA station, BONNERS FERRY.
The climate verdict for Bonners Ferry
Bonners Ferry, Idaho has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 48°F. At 54/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 31% of scores.
- 48°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 54/100
- comfort score, above 31% of station-mapped location scores
- 21.1"
- annual precipitation · 54" snow
- 157 days
- frost-free growing season
Bonners Ferry: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00101079 · Bonners Ferry, ID 48°F mean · 21.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 48°F
- RANK-COOL #2,058
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Saint Ignatius
- PRCP-DRY 21.1"
- SWING-MID 41°F
- COMF-LOW 54/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,674 HDD
- STN-1 USC00101079
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Saint Ignatius, MT (+ 0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every ID station list.
- Bonners Ferry (this station) 48°F
- Cold Grangeville, ID 48°F
- Hot Thompson Falls…, MT 48°F
- Near Saint Ignatius, MT 48°F
- Near Ellensburg, WA 48°F
Climate Living Index · Bonners Ferry
Bonners Ferry: 38/100 · grade F
Bonners Ferry publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Bonners Ferry, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 54/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 21.1 in · 13.9 from 35 in | 51/100 · D |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 145 calendar days | 50/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 157 days/year | 31/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 47.6°F · 19.9° from 67.5°F | 30/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 53.8 inches/year | 19/100 · F |
Bonners Ferry · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Bonners Ferry is a continental Köppen climate: Dsb
Coldest-month mean 28.5°F and warmest-month mean 69.0°F place this station in continental, dry-summer, warm summer climates (Dsb). Class Dsb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, dry-summer, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dsb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 69.0°F
- Coldest month
- 28.5°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Bonners Ferry sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Bonners Ferry's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 70%
- Among 6,861 stations, Bonners Ferry sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 71%
- Bonners Ferry's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 38th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Bonners Ferry compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Bonners Ferry's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
54 31st percentile score exceeds 31% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Bonners Ferry's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 59 complete annual observations from 1908 to 2025, BONNERS FERRY warmed at a fitted rate of 0.15°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Bonners Ferry primary station fitted change +0.15 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F (1°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 2.6" | 15.0" | 27.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 39°F (4°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 1.8" | 10.8" | 24.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 48°F (9°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 2.0" | 3.7" | 21.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 59°F (15°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 1.3" | 0.4" | 11.1 | 0.0 |
| May | 69°F (21°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 1.8" | 0.0" | 2.2 | 0.4 |
| June | 75°F (24°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 1.9" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 1.4 |
| July | 85°F (29°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 9.6 |
| August | 85°F (29°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 9.0 |
| September | 73°F (23°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| October | 56°F (13°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.7" | 0.2" | 11.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 42°F (5°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 2.5" | 6.4" | 19.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 33°F (1°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 3.2" | 17.3" | 27.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 88°F around July 29, short of 90°F on every date, while 145 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 23°F near December 26.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 25, then returns to freezing around November 2, covering 145 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is November 19, when 43% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 5 at 14%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 114 wet dates a year.
The widest day
August 3 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 34°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Bonners Ferry.
Where Bonners Ferry Stands Nationally
Daily temperature swings run wider than most of the country, peaking near 34°F between the normal high and low.
Bonners Ferry earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 15.0"
12.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.8"
8.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.7"
10.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
9.4 days with precipitation
9.7 days with precipitation
10.2 days with precipitation
5.6 days with precipitation
4.3 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
10.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.4"
13.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 17.3"
12.9 days with precipitation
Bonners Ferry's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 36% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 15%. That is the cool-season-dominant pattern of the West Coast and the higher inland West, where storm tracks swing south in winter and summer turns dry; the thermometer meanwhile shows a 40.5°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- December, 3.2"
- Driest month
- August, 0.5"
- Wettest three months
- December, January, November (40% of the year)
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A cool-season label means the December-February share reaches 35%. Where snow falls, the monthly figures above report liquid-equivalent precipitation, so a wet winter month is not necessarily a rainy one.
Bonners Ferry is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 114 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 31% of the calendar, and they carry 21.1" between them. At roughly 0.18 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is November at about 13 wet days; the driest is August at about 4.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Winter brings real snow to Bonners Ferry
Bonners Ferry averages 53.8 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 25 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 53.8 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 25 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 26% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 4
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
157 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,674
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
355
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside ID closest to Bonners Ferry on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (48°F here).
- Bend, OR 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Benton, PA 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Bonesteel, SD 48°F · 0.0°F off
- Burlington, VT 48°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (21.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Onida, SD 21.1" · 0.0" off
- Chiloquin, OR 21.1" · 0.0" off
- Panhandle, TX 21.1" · 0.0" off
- Wrightwood, CA 21.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Bonners Ferry
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Bonners Ferry's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,674 annual heating degree days against 355 for cooling. Its 40.5°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Bonners Ferry's frost-free season lasts about 157 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Bonners Ferry coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 29°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Bonners Ferry typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Bonners Ferry snow peak
December
Bonners Ferry averages 53.8 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Bonners Ferry's climate
How much snow does Bonners Ferry get? ▼
How cold does Bonners Ferry get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Bonners Ferry? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Bonners Ferry's primary station: BONNERS FERRY (USC00101079). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 1609370). Match rule for Bonners Ferry: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Bonners Ferry comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.