Buffalo Bill Dam, Wyoming climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Buffalo Bill Dam's normal year runs from 19°F December nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 12.7 inches of precipitation and 12 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.8°C, December lows of −7°C, July highs of 28°C, 323 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBuffalo Bill Dam
- Station IDUSC00481175
- Location44.51°N 109.17°W
- Elevation5,160 ft (1,573 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Buffalo Bill Dam is 53°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 11%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Buffalo Bill Dam.
- Jan 39° 20°
- Feb 37° 18°
- Mar 47° 26°
- Apr 53° 32°
- May 62° 40°
- Jun 73° 49°
- Jul 82° 57°
- Aug 81° 55°
- Sep 71° 47°
- Oct 56° 36°
- Nov 44° 27°
- Dec 35° 19°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Buffalo Bill Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in May (3.18 in), the least in December (0.38 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39°F | 20°F | 29.1°F | 0.41 | 3.3 | 3 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 37°F | 18°F | 27.6°F | 0.60 | 2.8 | 3 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 47°F | 26°F | 36.4°F | 0.54 | 1.7 | 3 | <1 | 20 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 32°F | 42.3°F | 1.61 | 0.5 | 6 | <1 | 12 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 62°F | 40°F | 51.1°F | 3.18 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 4 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 73°F | 49°F | 60.8°F | 1.44 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 82°F | 57°F | 69.3°F | 0.75 | 0.0 | 5 | 6 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 81°F | 55°F | 68.0°F | 0.75 | 0.0 | 5 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 47°F | 59.0°F | 1.25 | 0.0 | 4 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 36°F | 45.8°F | 1.38 | 0.7 | 4 | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| November | 44°F | 27°F | 35.3°F | 0.44 | 2.1 | 3 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 35°F | 19°F | 26.9°F | 0.38 | 1.2 | 3 | <1 | 25 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 35°F | 46.0°F | 12.73 | 12.3 | 53 | 10 | 140 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −7°C | −1.6°C | 10 mm | 8 cm |
| February | 3°C | −8°C | −2.4°C | 15 mm | 7 cm |
| March | 8°C | −3°C | 2.4°C | 14 mm | 4 cm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 5.7°C | 41 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 17°C | 4°C | 10.6°C | 81 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 23°C | 9°C | 16.0°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 14°C | 20.7°C | 19 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 13°C | 20.0°C | 19 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 8°C | 15.0°C | 32 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13°C | 2°C | 7.7°C | 35 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 7°C | −3°C | 1.8°C | 11 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 2°C | −7°C | −2.8°C | 10 mm | 3 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00481175; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Buffalo Bill Dam?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (4).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00481175.
When is the last frost at Buffalo Bill Dam?
In Buffalo Bill Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 17 in half of years and after June 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 3 in half of years and before September 18 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 171 year in 10 after June 3; 9 in 10 after May 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 31 year in 10 before September 18; 9 in 10 before October 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 136 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 158 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 4 in half of springs and before October 12 in half of autumns.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Wyoming · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00481175. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Buffalo Bill Dam?
In a normal year in Buffalo Bill Dam, 10 days a year reach 90°F, 140 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 53 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 140a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 34high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 53a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 5a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1905) is 107°F, on July 12, 2026; the lowest is −42°F, on February 17, 1936.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 18.76 in; the snowiest season is 1955–56, with 82.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00481175; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00481175. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Buffalo Bill Dam?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Buffalo Bill Dam, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and May the cloudiest (67%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 2.0 |
| February | 76% | 3.0 |
| March | 74% | 4.2 |
| April | 71% | 5.2 |
| May | 67% | 5.7 |
| June | 75% | 6.7 |
| July | 82% | 7.0 |
| August | 80% | 5.9 |
| September | 78% | 4.6 |
| October | 69% | 3.0 |
| November | 68% | 2.0 |
| December | 69% | 1.6 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Buffalo Bill Dam record?
A normal year at Buffalo Bill Dam brings 7,297 heating degree days, 36% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 390 cooling degree days, 57% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,012 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,113 | 0 |
| February | 1,047 | 0 |
| March | 887 | 0 |
| April | 681 | 0 |
| May | 434 | 4 |
| June | 169 | 42 |
| July | 41 | 173 |
| August | 46 | 137 |
| September | 212 | 32 |
| October | 596 | 1 |
| November | 891 | 0 |
| December | 1,181 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,297 | 390 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00481175. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Buffalo Bill Dam been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 52.4°F, 6.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.0°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48.2°F | +2.2°F | 8.82 | – |
| 2022 | 46.0°F | at normal | 16.05 | – |
| 2023 | 48.5°F | +2.5°F | 18.46 | – |
| 2024 | 51.4°F | +5.4°F | – | – |
| 2025 | 52.4°F | +6.4°F | 18.30 | – |
Over 58 complete years from 1907 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted -0.2°F per century (−0.01°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00481175; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Buffalo Bill Dam's climate compare?
Buffalo Bill Dam is warmer than 52 of the 71 places with their own NOAA record in Wyoming, and wetter than 36. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.0°F is warmer than 23%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Buffalo Bill Dam is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Buffalo Bill Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at Buffalo Bill Dam?
December, with a normal high of 35°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow at Buffalo Bill Dam?
Yes: 12 inches in a normal year, falling on 8 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (3.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Buffalo Bill Dam?
May, with 3.18 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.38 in.
How late can frost come at Buffalo Bill Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 17; in one year in ten it comes after June 3. Waiting until June 3 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Wyoming climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cody, WY3 miles from this station, 46.8°F a year
- Wapiti (1 mi WSW), WY12 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Heart Mountain, WY17 miles from this station, 45.6°F a year
- Powell, WY27 miles from this station, 43.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made