Buffalo, Wyoming climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Buffalo's normal year runs from 17°F December nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 12.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.0°C, December lows of −8°C, July highs of 29°C, 319 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBuffalo Johnson County Airport
- Station IDUSW00094054
- Location44.38°N 106.72°W
- Elevation4,967 ft (1,514 m)
- Population4,655
On October 23, the normal high in Buffalo is 54°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 22%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Buffalo.
- Jan 38° 17°
- Feb 37° 18°
- Mar 46° 25°
- Apr 53° 32°
- May 63° 41°
- Jun 74° 50°
- Jul 85° 58°
- Aug 83° 57°
- Sep 72° 47°
- Oct 57° 35°
- Nov 45° 25°
- Dec 37° 17°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Buffalo each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 17°F. The most precipitation falls in May (2.73 in), the least in December (0.17 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 17°F | 27.5°F | 0.23 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 37°F | 18°F | 27.3°F | 0.24 | 6 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 46°F | 25°F | 35.9°F | 0.73 | 7 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 32°F | 42.9°F | 1.46 | 10 | <1 | 15 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 63°F | 41°F | 52.0°F | 2.73 | 13 | <1 | 5 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 74°F | 50°F | 61.9°F | 2.07 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 85°F | 58°F | 71.3°F | 1.63 | 8 | 11 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 83°F | 57°F | 69.9°F | 0.75 | 8 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 72°F | 47°F | 59.8°F | 1.17 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 35°F | 46.2°F | 1.01 | 8 | <1 | 11 | 11 h |
| November | 45°F | 25°F | 35.0°F | 0.36 | 5 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 37°F | 17°F | 27.0°F | 0.17 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 35°F | 46.4°F | 12.55 | 91 | 25 | 164 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −8°C | −2.5°C | 6 mm |
| February | 3°C | −8°C | −2.6°C | 6 mm |
| March | 8°C | −4°C | 2.2°C | 19 mm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 6.1°C | 37 mm |
| May | 17°C | 5°C | 11.1°C | 69 mm |
| June | 23°C | 10°C | 16.6°C | 53 mm |
| July | 29°C | 14°C | 21.8°C | 41 mm |
| August | 28°C | 14°C | 21.1°C | 19 mm |
| September | 22°C | 8°C | 15.4°C | 30 mm |
| October | 14°C | 2°C | 7.9°C | 26 mm |
| November | 7°C | −4°C | 1.7°C | 9 mm |
| December | 3°C | −8°C | −2.8°C | 4 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Buffalo's own co-op station Buffalo station does: 43 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094054; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Buffalo?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USW00094054.
When is the last frost in Buffalo?
In Buffalo, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 28 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 19 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 131 year in 10 after May 28; 9 in 10 after April 28
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 19; 9 in 10 before October 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 141 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 163 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 10 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Buffalo in zone 5a in ZIP code 82834, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Buffalo's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −13°F (18 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Wyoming · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00094054; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 in Buffalo?
In a normal year in Buffalo, 25 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 164 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 91 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 25a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 164a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 40high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 91a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094054.
How sunny is Buffalo?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Buffalo, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and April the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 1.9 |
| February | 73% | 2.8 |
| March | 72% | 4.0 |
| April | 70% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.9 |
| June | 80% | 7.0 |
| July | 86% | 7.2 |
| August | 85% | 6.1 |
| September | 82% | 4.8 |
| October | 75% | 3.1 |
| November | 73% | 2.1 |
| December | 70% | 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 much heating and cooling does Buffalo need?
A normal year in Buffalo brings 7,286 heating degree days, 36% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 528 cooling degree days, 42% 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 2,252 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,164 | 0 |
| February | 1,057 | 0 |
| March | 904 | 0 |
| April | 665 | 0 |
| May | 412 | 7 |
| June | 150 | 57 |
| July | 20 | 214 |
| August | 37 | 191 |
| September | 213 | 57 |
| October | 586 | 3 |
| November | 900 | 0 |
| December | 1,179 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,286 | 528 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094054. 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.
Has Buffalo been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 47.1°F, 0.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.4°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2024 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 48.4°F | +2.0°F | 8.61 |
| 2025 | 47.1°F | +0.7°F | 11.51 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094054. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Buffalo's climate compare?
Buffalo is warmer than 55 of the other 70 places with their own NOAA record in Wyoming, and wetter than 35. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.4°F is warmer than 25%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Buffalo 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.
What do Buffalo's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Buffalo. This page uses Buffalo Johnson County Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo station USC00481165 | 2 mi SE | 4,639 ft | 43.4°F | 11°F | 83°F | 13.8 | 43 | May 24 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Buffalo's climate
What is the coldest month in Buffalo?
December, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 17°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Buffalo?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Buffalo's NOAA station; Buffalo's own co-op station Buffalo station records 43 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Buffalo?
May, with 2.73 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.17 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Buffalo in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Buffalo in zone 5a in ZIP code 82834, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Buffalo's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −13°F (18 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Buffalo?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 13; in one year in ten it comes after May 28. Waiting until May 28 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Wyoming climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Story, WY16 miles from this station, 43.5°F a year
- Billy Creek, WY18 miles from this station, 45.5°F a year
- Clearmont, WY19 miles from this station, 43.6°F a year
- Big Horn, WY25 miles from this station, 45.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made