Hecla (1 mi E), Wyoming climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Hecla (1 mi E)'s normal year runs from 16°F December nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 14.5 inches of precipitation and 70 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.2°C, December lows of −9°C, July highs of 27°C, 368 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationHecla (1 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00484442
- Location41.15°N 105.17°W
- Elevation6,690 ft (2,039 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Hecla (1 mi E) is 56°F and the normal low 29°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 17%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Hecla (1 mi E).
- Jan 39° 17°
- Feb 41° 16°
- Mar 48° 22°
- Apr 54° 28°
- May 63° 37°
- Jun 75° 45°
- Jul 81° 53°
- Aug 80° 51°
- Sep 72° 42°
- Oct 59° 31°
- Nov 47° 22°
- Dec 39° 16°
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 Hecla (1 mi E) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in May (2.21 in), the least in January (0.33 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39°F | 17°F | 28.1°F | 0.33 | 7.2 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 41°F | 16°F | 28.3°F | 0.41 | 9.0 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 48°F | 22°F | 35.2°F | 0.79 | 10.7 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 28°F | 41.3°F | 1.52 | 13.5 | 8 | <1 | 21 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 63°F | 37°F | 50.3°F | 2.21 | 4.1 | 9 | <1 | 8 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 75°F | 45°F | 60.0°F | 1.99 | 0.1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 81°F | 53°F | 66.9°F | 2.07 | 0.0 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 80°F | 51°F | 65.4°F | 1.64 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 72°F | 42°F | 57.2°F | 1.50 | 1.0 | 6 | <1 | 3 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 59°F | 31°F | 45.2°F | 1.04 | 5.7 | 6 | <1 | 17 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 22°F | 34.7°F | 0.56 | 8.8 | 4 | <1 | 25 | 10 h |
| December | 39°F | 16°F | 27.4°F | 0.43 | 9.4 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 32°F | 45.0°F | 14.49 | 69.5 | 76 | 5 | 187 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −8°C | −2.2°C | 8 mm | 18 cm |
| February | 5°C | −9°C | −2.1°C | 10 mm | 23 cm |
| March | 9°C | −5°C | 1.8°C | 20 mm | 27 cm |
| April | 12°C | −2°C | 5.2°C | 39 mm | 34 cm |
| May | 17°C | 3°C | 10.2°C | 56 mm | 10 cm |
| June | 24°C | 7°C | 15.6°C | 51 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 11°C | 19.4°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 10°C | 18.6°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 6°C | 14.0°C | 38 mm | 3 cm |
| October | 15°C | 0°C | 7.3°C | 26 mm | 14 cm |
| November | 8°C | −5°C | 1.5°C | 14 mm | 22 cm |
| December | 4°C | −9°C | −2.6°C | 11 mm | 24 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00484442; 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 Hecla (1 mi E)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00484442.
When is the last frost at Hecla (1 mi E)?
In Hecla (1 mi E), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 27 in half of years and after June 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 19 in half of years and before September 3 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 271 year in 10 after June 13; 9 in 10 after May 12
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 191 year in 10 before September 3; 9 in 10 before October 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 115 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 139 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 12 in half of springs and before September 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Hecla (1 mi E) in zone 5b in ZIP code 82059, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −18°F (22 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 USC00484442; 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 at Hecla (1 mi E)?
In a normal year in Hecla (1 mi E), 5 days a year reach 90°F, 187 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 76 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 187a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 30high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 76a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 23a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00484442.
How sunny is it at Hecla (1 mi E)?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Hecla (1 mi E), 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (82%) and April the cloudiest (71%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 2.4 |
| February | 76% | 3.3 |
| March | 75% | 4.5 |
| April | 71% | 5.3 |
| May | 72% | 6.2 |
| June | 81% | 7.2 |
| July | 81% | 6.9 |
| August | 81% | 6.0 |
| September | 82% | 5.1 |
| October | 77% | 3.6 |
| November | 76% | 2.5 |
| December | 73% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Hecla (1 mi E) record?
A normal year at Hecla (1 mi E) brings 7,465 heating degree days, 39% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 206 cooling degree days, 77% 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 1,743 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,144 | 0 |
| February | 1,026 | 0 |
| March | 924 | 0 |
| April | 710 | 0 |
| May | 458 | 1 |
| June | 175 | 27 |
| July | 36 | 95 |
| August | 59 | 70 |
| September | 248 | 14 |
| October | 612 | 0 |
| November | 908 | 0 |
| December | 1,166 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,465 | 206 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00484442. 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 Hecla (1 mi E) been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 47.0°F, 2.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 45.0°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 47.0°F | +2.0°F | 11.35 | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00484442. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Hecla (1 mi E)'s climate compare?
Hecla (1 mi E) is warmer than 42 of the 71 places with their own NOAA record in Wyoming, and wetter than 42. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.0°F is warmer than 19%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Hecla (1 mi E) 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 Hecla (1 mi E)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Hecla (1 mi E)?
December, with a normal high of 39°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow at Hecla (1 mi E)?
Yes: 70 inches in a normal year, falling on 29 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in April (13.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Hecla (1 mi E)?
May, with 2.21 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.33 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Hecla (1 mi E) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Hecla (1 mi E) in zone 5b in ZIP code 82059, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −18°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come at Hecla (1 mi E)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 27; in one year in ten it comes after June 13. Waiting until June 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Wyoming climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Virginia Dale (7 mi ENE), CO13 miles from this station, 43.6°F a year
- Cheyenne, WY19 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Archer, WY27 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- Laramie, WY29 miles from this station, 41.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made