Elk River, Idaho climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Elk River's normal year runs from 21°F December nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 39.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.1°C, December lows of −6°C, July highs of 28°C, 995 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationElk River
- Station IDUSC00102892
- Location46.78°N 116.18°W
- Elevation2,866 ft (874 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Elk River is 51°F and the normal low 32°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Elk River.
- Jan 33° 21°
- Feb 38° 22°
- Mar 46° 27°
- Apr 53° 31°
- May 64° 38°
- Jun 71° 45°
- Jul 82° 48°
- Aug 83° 48°
- Sep 72° 40°
- Oct 56° 33°
- Nov 41° 28°
- Dec 33° 21°
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 Elk River each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 21°F. The most precipitation falls in December (5.69 in), the least in August (0.86 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 21°F | 27.4°F | 5.13 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 38°F | 22°F | 30.2°F | 4.04 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 46°F | 27°F | 36.4°F | 3.33 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 31°F | 42.2°F | 3.53 | – | <1 | 23 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 64°F | 38°F | 51.2°F | 3.21 | – | <1 | 9 | 15 h |
| June | 71°F | 45°F | 58.1°F | 2.72 | – | 1 | 1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 82°F | 48°F | 65.1°F | 0.94 | – | 6 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 83°F | 48°F | 65.0°F | 0.86 | – | 6 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 72°F | 40°F | 56.3°F | 1.50 | – | 1 | 4 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 33°F | 44.4°F | 3.39 | – | <1 | 19 | 11 h |
| November | 41°F | 28°F | 34.7°F | 4.82 | – | <1 | 26 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 33°F | 21°F | 27.1°F | 5.69 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 34°F | 44.8°F | 39.16 | – | 15 | 202 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −6°C | −2.6°C | 130 mm |
| February | 4°C | −6°C | −1.0°C | 103 mm |
| March | 8°C | −3°C | 2.4°C | 85 mm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 5.7°C | 90 mm |
| May | 18°C | 4°C | 10.7°C | 82 mm |
| June | 22°C | 7°C | 14.5°C | 69 mm |
| July | 28°C | 9°C | 18.4°C | 24 mm |
| August | 28°C | 9°C | 18.3°C | 22 mm |
| September | 22°C | 5°C | 13.5°C | 38 mm |
| October | 13°C | 1°C | 6.9°C | 86 mm |
| November | 5°C | −2°C | 1.5°C | 122 mm |
| December | 0°C | −6°C | −2.7°C | 145 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Headquarters (20 miles away), gets 119 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00102892; 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 Elk River?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August 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 USC00102892.
When is the last frost at Elk River?
In Elk River, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 16 in half of years and after June 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 23 in half of years and before September 6 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 161 year in 10 after June 1; 9 in 10 after May 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 231 year in 10 before September 6; 9 in 10 before October 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 128 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 160 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elk River in zone 6b in ZIP code 83827, 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 USC00102892; 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 at Elk River?
In a normal year in Elk River, 15 days a year reach 90°F and 202 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 15a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 202a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 32high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1952) is 107°F, on August 5, 1961; the lowest is −37°F, on December 31, 1968.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1964, with 56.14 in; the snowiest season is 1971–72, with 223.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00102892; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00102892. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Elk River?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Elk River, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (91%) and December the cloudiest (55%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 59% | 1.3 |
| February | 64% | 2.2 |
| March | 64% | 3.3 |
| April | 70% | 4.8 |
| May | 75% | 6.0 |
| June | 78% | 6.8 |
| July | 91% | 7.5 |
| August | 88% | 6.2 |
| September | 83% | 4.5 |
| October | 73% | 2.8 |
| November | 61% | 1.5 |
| December | 55% | 1.0 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Elk River record?
A normal year at Elk River brings 7,519 heating degree days, 40% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 190 cooling degree days, 79% 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 1,556 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,167 | 0 |
| February | 974 | 0 |
| March | 888 | 0 |
| April | 684 | 0 |
| May | 429 | 2 |
| June | 225 | 18 |
| July | 79 | 82 |
| August | 77 | 77 |
| September | 271 | 12 |
| October | 639 | 0 |
| November | 911 | 0 |
| December | 1,176 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,519 | 190 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00102892. 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.
How does Elk River's climate compare?
Elk River is warmer than 29 of the 85 places with their own NOAA record in Idaho, and wetter than 78. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.8°F is warmer than 18%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Elk River is Dsb: continental, dry-summer, 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 Elk River share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Bovill, ID201 people · 11 mi NW
- Elk River, ID144 people · 0 mi NW
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 Elk River's climate
What is the coldest month at Elk River?
December, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 21°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 48°F at night).
Does it snow at Elk River?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Headquarters (20 miles away), records 119 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Elk River?
December, with 5.69 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.86 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Elk River in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Elk River in zone 6b in ZIP code 83827, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Elk River?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 16; 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
- Headquarters, ID21 miles from this station, 42.6°F a year
- Dworshak Fish Hatchery, ID21 miles from this station, 51.7°F a year
- Pierce, ID27 miles from this station, 43.6°F a year
- Potlatch, ID34 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made