Council, Idaho climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Council's normal year runs from 18°F January nights to 92°F July afternoons, with 22.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.6°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 33°C, 569 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCouncil
- Station IDUSC00102187
- Location44.74°N 116.43°W
- Elevation2,943 ft (897 m)
- Population975
On October 22, the normal high in Council is 61°F and the normal low 33°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Council.
- Jan 33° 18°
- Feb 40° 22°
- Mar 52° 29°
- Apr 61° 35°
- May 72° 42°
- Jun 80° 49°
- Jul 92° 57°
- Aug 91° 55°
- Sep 80° 45°
- Oct 64° 35°
- Nov 47° 26°
- Dec 36° 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 in Council each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 92°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 18°F. The most precipitation falls in December (2.98 in), the least in July (0.44 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 18°F | 25.7°F | 2.67 | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 40°F | 22°F | 30.7°F | 2.02 | – | <1 | 26 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 52°F | 29°F | 40.5°F | 2.61 | – | <1 | 22 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 61°F | 35°F | 47.9°F | 2.12 | – | <1 | 12 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 72°F | 42°F | 57.1°F | 2.37 | – | 2 | 4 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 80°F | 49°F | 64.4°F | 1.59 | – | 5 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 92°F | 57°F | 74.6°F | 0.44 | – | 22 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 91°F | 55°F | 73.0°F | 0.44 | – | 22 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 80°F | 45°F | 62.8°F | 0.95 | – | 6 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 64°F | 35°F | 49.6°F | 1.61 | – | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| November | 47°F | 26°F | 36.7°F | 2.60 | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 36°F | 19°F | 27.7°F | 2.98 | – | <1 | 29 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 36°F | 49.2°F | 22.40 | – | 56 | 159 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −8°C | −3.5°C | 68 mm |
| February | 4°C | −6°C | −0.7°C | 51 mm |
| March | 11°C | −2°C | 4.7°C | 66 mm |
| April | 16°C | 1°C | 8.8°C | 54 mm |
| May | 22°C | 6°C | 13.9°C | 60 mm |
| June | 27°C | 9°C | 18.0°C | 40 mm |
| July | 33°C | 14°C | 23.7°C | 11 mm |
| August | 33°C | 13°C | 22.8°C | 11 mm |
| September | 27°C | 7°C | 17.1°C | 24 mm |
| October | 18°C | 2°C | 9.8°C | 41 mm |
| November | 8°C | −3°C | 2.6°C | 66 mm |
| December | 2°C | −7°C | −2.4°C | 76 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, McCall station (19 miles away), gets 132 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00102187; 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 Council?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September.
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 USC00102187.
When is the last frost in Council?
In Council, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 10 in half of years and after June 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 2 in half of years and before September 16 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 101 year in 10 after June 1; 9 in 10 after April 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 21 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 145 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 176 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 22 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Council in zone 6a in ZIP code 83643, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Idaho · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00102187; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Council?
In a normal year in Council, 56 days a year reach 90°F (9 of them 100°F or more) and 159 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 56a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 159a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 25high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1911) is 109°F, on July 20, 1936; the lowest is −27°F, on February 1, 1956.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1964, with 39.75 in; the snowiest season is 1916–17, with 108.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00102187; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00102187. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Council?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Council, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (92%) and December the cloudiest (57%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 61% | 1.6 |
| February | 66% | 2.5 |
| March | 66% | 3.6 |
| April | 74% | 5.3 |
| May | 78% | 6.5 |
| June | 82% | 7.3 |
| July | 92% | 7.8 |
| August | 91% | 6.6 |
| September | 86% | 5.0 |
| October | 78% | 3.2 |
| November | 66% | 1.8 |
| December | 57% | 1.2 |
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 Council need?
A normal year in Council brings 6,454 heating degree days, 20% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 729 cooling degree days, 20% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,684 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,218 | 0 |
| February | 960 | 0 |
| March | 761 | 0 |
| April | 512 | 0 |
| May | 263 | 17 |
| June | 102 | 82 |
| July | 10 | 308 |
| August | 15 | 263 |
| September | 125 | 58 |
| October | 479 | 2 |
| November | 850 | 0 |
| December | 1,158 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,454 | 729 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00102187. 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 Council been warmer than normal lately?
2023 averaged 50.0°F, 0.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.2°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.4°F | +1.2°F | – |
| 2023 | 50.0°F | +0.8°F | – |
Over 51 complete years from 1916 to 2023, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.0°F per century (+0.05°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00102187; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Council's climate compare?
Council is warmer than 64 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Idaho, and wetter than 60. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.2°F is warmer than 37%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Council is Dsa: continental, dry-summer, hot 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.
Questions about Council's climate
What is the coldest month in Council?
January, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (92°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Council?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Council's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, McCall station (19 miles away), records 132 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Council?
December, with 2.98 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.44 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Council in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Council in zone 6a in ZIP code 83643, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Council?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 10; in one year in ten it comes after June 1. Waiting until June 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Idaho climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cambridge, ID17 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- New Meadows, ID17 miles from this station, 41.4°F a year
- McCall, ID19 miles from this station, 41.5°F a year
- Brownlee Dam, ID24 miles from this station, 55.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made