Lahontan Dam, Nevada climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Lahontan Dam's normal year runs from 24°F December nights to 96°F July afternoons, with 4.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.6°C, December lows of −4°C, July highs of 36°C, 122 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLahontan Dam
- Station IDUSC00264349
- Location39.47°N 119.06°W
- Elevation4,167 ft (1,270 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Lahontan Dam is 68°F and the normal low 40°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 5%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Lahontan Dam.
- Jan 47° 25°
- Feb 53° 28°
- Mar 61° 34°
- Apr 67° 40°
- May 76° 48°
- Jun 87° 57°
- Jul 96° 66°
- Aug 94° 64°
- Sep 86° 54°
- Oct 72° 42°
- Nov 57° 31°
- Dec 46° 24°
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 Lahontan Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 96°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 24°F. The most precipitation falls in January (0.70 in), the least in July (0.09 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 25°F | 35.9°F | 0.70 | 5 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 53°F | 28°F | 40.7°F | 0.50 | 3 | <1 | 19 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 61°F | 34°F | 47.5°F | 0.58 | 3 | <1 | 13 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 67°F | 40°F | 53.6°F | 0.28 | 3 | <1 | 5 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 76°F | 48°F | 62.3°F | 0.62 | 3 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 87°F | 57°F | 72.1°F | 0.32 | 2 | 15 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 96°F | 66°F | 81.0°F | 0.09 | 1 | 28 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 94°F | 64°F | 78.9°F | 0.16 | 1 | 25 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 86°F | 54°F | 70.0°F | 0.16 | 1 | 10 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 42°F | 57.0°F | 0.34 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 57°F | 31°F | 44.2°F | 0.38 | 3 | <1 | 17 | 10 h |
| December | 46°F | 24°F | 35.2°F | 0.67 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 70°F | 43°F | 56.5°F | 4.80 | 29 | 82 | 111 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −4°C | 2.2°C | 18 mm |
| February | 12°C | −2°C | 4.8°C | 13 mm |
| March | 16°C | 1°C | 8.6°C | 15 mm |
| April | 20°C | 4°C | 12.0°C | 7 mm |
| May | 24°C | 9°C | 16.8°C | 16 mm |
| June | 31°C | 14°C | 22.3°C | 8 mm |
| July | 36°C | 19°C | 27.2°C | 2 mm |
| August | 35°C | 18°C | 26.1°C | 4 mm |
| September | 30°C | 12°C | 21.1°C | 4 mm |
| October | 22°C | 6°C | 13.9°C | 9 mm |
| November | 14°C | 0°C | 6.8°C | 10 mm |
| December | 8°C | −4°C | 1.8°C | 17 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Fallon Experiment Station (15 miles away), gets 5 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00264349; 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 Lahontan Dam?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (1).
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 USC00264349.
When is the last frost at Lahontan Dam?
In Lahontan Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 18 in half of years and after May 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 25 in half of years and before October 11 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
- April 181 year in 10 after May 9; 9 in 10 after April 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 251 year in 10 before October 11; 9 in 10 before November 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 188 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 214 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 2 in half of springs and before November 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lahontan Dam in zone 7a in ZIP code 89408, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Nevada · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00264349; 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 Lahontan Dam?
In a normal year in Lahontan Dam, 82 days a year reach 90°F (16 of them 100°F or more), 111 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 29 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 82a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 16a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 111a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 4high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 29a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1911) is 110°F, on July 20, 1931; the lowest is −17°F, on January 17, 1917.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 8.74 in; the snowiest season is 1970–71, with 27.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00264349; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00264349. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Lahontan Dam?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Lahontan Dam, 5.2 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (94%) and December the cloudiest (71%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.4 |
| February | 76% | 3.4 |
| March | 79% | 4.8 |
| April | 83% | 6.3 |
| May | 85% | 7.3 |
| June | 92% | 8.3 |
| July | 93% | 8.0 |
| August | 94% | 7.3 |
| September | 93% | 5.9 |
| October | 89% | 4.3 |
| November | 81% | 2.8 |
| December | 71% | 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 Lahontan Dam record?
A normal year at Lahontan Dam brings 4,521 heating degree days, 16% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,459 cooling degree days, 61% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,017 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 902 | 0 |
| February | 682 | 0 |
| March | 541 | 0 |
| April | 347 | 4 |
| May | 151 | 66 |
| June | 30 | 245 |
| July | 1 | 496 |
| August | 1 | 432 |
| September | 40 | 188 |
| October | 277 | 27 |
| November | 624 | 0 |
| December | 925 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,521 | 1,459 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00264349. 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 Lahontan Dam been warmer than normal?
Over 47 complete years from 1912 to 2020, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 0.4°F per century (+0.02°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 Lahontan Dam's climate compare?
Lahontan Dam is warmer than 43 of the 55 places with their own NOAA record in Nevada, and wetter than 7. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.5°F is warmer than 65%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lahontan Dam is BWk: cold desert. 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 Lahontan Dam 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.
- Fernley, NV25,508 people · 9 mi NW
- Silver Springs, NV5,523 people · 10 mi SW
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 Lahontan Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at Lahontan Dam?
December, with a normal high of 46°F and a normal low of 24°F. The warmest is July (96°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow at Lahontan Dam?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Fallon Experiment Station (15 miles away), records 5 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Lahontan Dam?
January, with 0.70 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.09 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Lahontan Dam in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Lahontan Dam in zone 7a in ZIP code 89408, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Lahontan Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 9. Waiting until May 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nevada climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Fallon, NV19 miles from this station, 53.7°F a year
- Wadsworth, NV19 miles from this station, 52.5°F a year
- Wabuska (6 mi SE), NV27 miles from this station, 50.6°F a year
- Yerington, NV33 miles from this station, 53.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made