Lake Yellowstone, Wyoming climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Lake Yellowstone's normal year runs from 3°F January nights to 71°F July afternoons, with 22.5 inches of precipitation and 199 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 1.0°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 22°C, 573 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLake Yellowstone
- Station IDUSC00485345
- Location44.56°N 110.40°W
- Elevation7,892 ft (2,406 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Lake Yellowstone is 42°F and the normal low 23°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Lake Yellowstone.
- Jan 23° 3°
- Feb 27° 4°
- Mar 35° 11°
- Apr 42° 19°
- May 50° 29°
- Jun 61° 36°
- Jul 71° 43°
- Aug 71° 42°
- Sep 61° 34°
- Oct 46° 25°
- Nov 33° 15°
- Dec 24° 7°
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 Lake Yellowstone each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 71°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 3°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.46 in), the least in July (1.29 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 3°F | 13.3°F | 1.97 | 35.8 | 17 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 27°F | 4°F | 15.1°F | 1.80 | 30.9 | 15 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 35°F | 11°F | 22.9°F | 1.97 | 25.1 | 14 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 42°F | 19°F | 30.4°F | 2.12 | 22.9 | 12 | <1 | 30 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 50°F | 29°F | 39.7°F | 2.42 | 6.9 | 11 | <1 | 26 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 61°F | 36°F | 48.5°F | 2.46 | 1.0 | 13 | <1 | 12 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 71°F | 43°F | 56.9°F | 1.29 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 71°F | 42°F | 56.2°F | 1.49 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 61°F | 34°F | 47.7°F | 1.58 | 1.4 | 10 | <1 | 16 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 46°F | 25°F | 35.6°F | 1.64 | 10.2 | 9 | <1 | 29 | 11 h |
| November | 33°F | 15°F | 23.7°F | 1.81 | 29.8 | 12 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 24°F | 7°F | 15.4°F | 1.99 | 35.4 | 17 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 45°F | 22°F | 33.8°F | 22.54 | 199.4 | 151 | <1 | 269 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −16°C | −10.4°C | 50 mm | 91 cm |
| February | −3°C | −16°C | −9.4°C | 46 mm | 78 cm |
| March | 2°C | −12°C | −5.1°C | 50 mm | 64 cm |
| April | 5°C | −7°C | −0.9°C | 54 mm | 58 cm |
| May | 10°C | −2°C | 4.3°C | 61 mm | 18 cm |
| June | 16°C | 2°C | 9.2°C | 62 mm | 3 cm |
| July | 22°C | 6°C | 13.8°C | 33 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 22°C | 5°C | 13.4°C | 38 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 16°C | 1°C | 8.7°C | 40 mm | 4 cm |
| October | 8°C | −4°C | 2.0°C | 42 mm | 26 cm |
| November | 0°C | −10°C | −4.6°C | 46 mm | 76 cm |
| December | −5°C | −14°C | −9.2°C | 51 mm | 90 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00485345; 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 Lake Yellowstone?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in July and August. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (10).
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 USC00485345.
How hot and how cold does it get at Lake Yellowstone?
In a normal year in Lake Yellowstone, a 90°F day is rare, 269 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 151 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 269a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 104high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 151a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 75a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1904) is 91°F, on August 10, 1969; the lowest is −56°F, on February 9, 1933.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2017, with 29.56 in; the snowiest season is 2017–18, with 241.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00485345; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00485345. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Lake Yellowstone?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Lake Yellowstone, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (58%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63% | 1.7 |
| February | 67% | 2.6 |
| March | 67% | 3.8 |
| April | 69% | 5.2 |
| May | 67% | 5.8 |
| June | 74% | 6.7 |
| July | 85% | 7.3 |
| August | 82% | 6.1 |
| September | 78% | 4.7 |
| October | 66% | 2.9 |
| November | 61% | 1.8 |
| December | 58% | 1.3 |
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 Lake Yellowstone record?
A normal year at Lake Yellowstone brings 11,354 heating degree days, 2.1 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 5 cooling degree days, 99% fewer than the median (908). Ten months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 564 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,604 | 0 |
| February | 1,397 | 0 |
| March | 1,305 | 0 |
| April | 1,038 | 0 |
| May | 784 | 0 |
| June | 494 | 0 |
| July | 253 | 3 |
| August | 273 | 1 |
| September | 518 | 0 |
| October | 911 | 0 |
| November | 1,239 | 0 |
| December | 1,538 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 11,354 | 5 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00485345. 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 Lake Yellowstone been warmer than normal?
2021 averaged 35.2°F, 1.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 33.8°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35.2°F | +1.4°F | 21.82 | – |
Over 38 complete years from 1909 to 2021, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.0°F per century (+0.11°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00485345; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Lake Yellowstone's climate compare?
Lake Yellowstone is warmer than 1 of the 71 places with their own NOAA record in Wyoming, and wetter than 60. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 33.8°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lake Yellowstone is Dfc: continental, no dry season, cool 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 Lake Yellowstone's climate
What is the coldest month at Lake Yellowstone?
January, with a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 3°F. The warmest is July (71°F by day, 43°F at night).
Does it snow at Lake Yellowstone?
Yes: 199 inches in a normal year, falling on 92 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (35.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Lake Yellowstone?
June, with 2.46 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 1.29 in.
Nearby and next
- Wyoming climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Yellowstone Lake, WY2 miles from this station, 32.0°F a year
- Yellowstone National Park E Ent, WY20 miles from this station, 36.1°F a year
- Pahaska, WY22 miles from this station, 38.0°F a year
- Old Faithful, WY22 miles from this station, 34.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made