Chugwater, Wyoming climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Chugwater's normal year runs from 18°F December nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 16.8 inches of precipitation and 70 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.8°C, December lows of −8°C, July highs of 31°C, 426 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationChugwater
- Station IDUSC00481730
- Location41.76°N 104.82°W
- Elevation5,304 ft (1,617 m)
- Population169
On October 23, the normal high in Chugwater is 59°F and the normal low 30°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 20%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Chugwater.
- Jan 41° 18°
- Feb 42° 17°
- Mar 51° 24°
- Apr 58° 30°
- May 68° 40°
- Jun 80° 48°
- Jul 88° 55°
- Aug 86° 53°
- Sep 77° 44°
- Oct 62° 32°
- Nov 50° 24°
- Dec 41° 18°
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 Chugwater each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 18°F. The most precipitation falls in May (3.07 in), the least in January (0.49 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 18°F | 29.7°F | 0.49 | 9.0 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 42°F | 17°F | 29.9°F | 0.73 | 11.4 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 51°F | 24°F | 37.7°F | 1.14 | 11.1 | 7 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 58°F | 30°F | 44.2°F | 2.07 | 8.9 | 9 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 40°F | 53.6°F | 3.07 | 2.1 | 11 | <1 | 5 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 80°F | 48°F | 63.9°F | 2.08 | 0.0 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 88°F | 55°F | 71.3°F | 1.59 | 0.0 | 8 | 13 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 86°F | 53°F | 69.4°F | 1.57 | 0.0 | 8 | 9 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 44°F | 60.4°F | 1.30 | 1.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 32°F | 47.2°F | 1.27 | 5.2 | 6 | <1 | 16 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 24°F | 37.2°F | 0.74 | 9.1 | 6 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 41°F | 18°F | 29.4°F | 0.74 | 12.0 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 34°F | 47.8°F | 16.79 | 69.8 | 91 | 27 | 173 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −8°C | −1.3°C | 12 mm | 23 cm |
| February | 6°C | −8°C | −1.2°C | 19 mm | 29 cm |
| March | 11°C | −4°C | 3.2°C | 29 mm | 28 cm |
| April | 14°C | −1°C | 6.8°C | 53 mm | 23 cm |
| May | 20°C | 4°C | 12.0°C | 78 mm | 5 cm |
| June | 26°C | 9°C | 17.7°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 13°C | 21.8°C | 40 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 12°C | 20.8°C | 40 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 7°C | 15.8°C | 33 mm | 3 cm |
| October | 17°C | 0°C | 8.4°C | 32 mm | 13 cm |
| November | 10°C | −4°C | 2.9°C | 19 mm | 23 cm |
| December | 5°C | −8°C | −1.4°C | 19 mm | 30 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00481730; 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 Chugwater?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June 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 USC00481730.
When is the last frost in Chugwater?
In Chugwater, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 18 in half of years and after June 2 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 24 in half of years and before September 9 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 181 year in 10 after June 2; 9 in 10 after May 5
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 241 year in 10 before September 9; 9 in 10 before October 8
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 129 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 150 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 7 in half of springs and before October 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chugwater in zone 5a in ZIP code 82210, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Chugwater's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (26 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Wyoming · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00481730; 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 Chugwater?
In a normal year in Chugwater, 27 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 173 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 91 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 27a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 173a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 31high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 91a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 24a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1900) is 110°F, on July 5, 1937; the lowest is −45°F, on December 31, 1923.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1947, with 25.66 in; the snowiest season is 1979–80, with 118.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00481730; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00481730. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Chugwater?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Chugwater, 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (83%) and April the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 2.3 |
| February | 75% | 3.2 |
| March | 76% | 4.5 |
| April | 72% | 5.4 |
| May | 73% | 6.1 |
| June | 81% | 7.1 |
| July | 83% | 6.9 |
| August | 83% | 6.1 |
| September | 83% | 5.0 |
| October | 78% | 3.6 |
| November | 78% | 2.5 |
| December | 75% | 2.0 |
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 Chugwater need?
A normal year in Chugwater brings 6,732 heating degree days, 25% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 500 cooling degree days, 45% 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 2,346 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,094 | 0 |
| February | 983 | 0 |
| March | 845 | 0 |
| April | 626 | 0 |
| May | 363 | 8 |
| June | 104 | 73 |
| July | 16 | 212 |
| August | 28 | 164 |
| September | 182 | 42 |
| October | 554 | 1 |
| November | 834 | 0 |
| December | 1,105 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,732 | 500 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00481730. 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 Chugwater been warmer than normal lately?
Over 93 complete years from 1903 to 2017, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.1°F per century (+0.12°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Chugwater's climate compare?
Chugwater is warmer than 61 of the other 70 places with their own NOAA record in Wyoming, and wetter than 50. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.8°F is warmer than 31%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Chugwater is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. 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.
Which places near Chugwater share this climate record?
Slater has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Slater, WY65 people · 8 mi N
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Chugwater's climate
What is the coldest month in Chugwater?
December, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow in Chugwater?
Yes: 70 inches in a normal year, falling on 38 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (12.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Chugwater?
May, with 3.07 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.49 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Chugwater in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Chugwater in zone 5a in ZIP code 82210, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Chugwater's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (26 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Chugwater?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 18; in one year in ten it comes after June 2. Waiting until June 2 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Wyoming climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Phillips, WY19 miles from this station, 47.9°F a year
- Yoder, WY25 miles from this station, 49.8°F a year
- Wheatland, WY25 miles from this station, 49.0°F a year
- Sybille Research Unit, WY29 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made