Old Faithful, Wyoming climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Old Faithful's normal year runs from 1°F December nights to 76°F July afternoons, with 25.6 inches of precipitation and 197 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 1.3°C, December lows of −17°C, July highs of 24°C, 651 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOld Faithful
- Station IDUSC00486845
- Location44.46°N 110.83°W
- Elevation7,351 ft (2,241 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Old Faithful is 46°F and the normal low 20°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 33%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Old Faithful.
- Jan 28° 1°
- Feb 31° 2°
- Mar 39° 10°
- Apr 46° 19°
- May 55° 29°
- Jun 65° 35°
- Jul 76° 39°
- Aug 75° 37°
- Sep 65° 30°
- Oct 50° 22°
- Nov 35° 10°
- Dec 27° 1°
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 Old Faithful each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 76°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 1°F. The most precipitation falls in December (2.78 in), the least in July (1.25 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 1°F | 14.7°F | 2.08 | 35.6 | 14 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 31°F | 2°F | 16.5°F | 2.13 | 29.9 | 13 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 39°F | 10°F | 24.3°F | 2.24 | 27.1 | 12 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 46°F | 19°F | 32.3°F | 2.40 | 17.1 | 12 | <1 | 29 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 55°F | 29°F | 42.0°F | 2.68 | 5.4 | 13 | <1 | 23 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 65°F | 35°F | 49.9°F | 2.42 | 0.6 | 13 | <1 | 11 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 76°F | 39°F | 57.6°F | 1.25 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 4 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 75°F | 37°F | 55.9°F | 1.43 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 7 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 65°F | 30°F | 47.3°F | 1.70 | 0.9 | 10 | <1 | 20 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 50°F | 22°F | 35.9°F | 2.30 | 9.0 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 11 h |
| November | 35°F | 10°F | 22.6°F | 2.22 | 26.4 | 12 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 27°F | 1°F | 13.7°F | 2.78 | 45.0 | 15 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 49°F | 20°F | 34.4°F | 25.63 | 197.0 | 142 | <1 | 271 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −17°C | −9.6°C | 53 mm | 90 cm |
| February | 0°C | −17°C | −8.6°C | 54 mm | 76 cm |
| March | 4°C | −12°C | −4.3°C | 57 mm | 69 cm |
| April | 8°C | −7°C | 0.2°C | 61 mm | 43 cm |
| May | 13°C | −2°C | 5.6°C | 68 mm | 14 cm |
| June | 18°C | 2°C | 9.9°C | 61 mm | 2 cm |
| July | 24°C | 4°C | 14.2°C | 32 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24°C | 3°C | 13.3°C | 36 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 18°C | −1°C | 8.5°C | 43 mm | 2 cm |
| October | 10°C | −6°C | 2.2°C | 58 mm | 23 cm |
| November | 2°C | −12°C | −5.2°C | 56 mm | 67 cm |
| December | −3°C | −17°C | −10.2°C | 71 mm | 114 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00486845; 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 Old Faithful?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July and August. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USC00486845.
How hot and how cold does it get at Old Faithful?
In a normal year in Old Faithful, a 90°F day is rare, 271 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 142 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
- 271a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 84high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 142a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 61a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00486845.
How sunny is it at Old Faithful?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Old Faithful, 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 Old Faithful record?
A normal year at Old Faithful brings 11,140 heating degree days, 2.1 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 7 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 579 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,559 | 0 |
| February | 1,357 | 0 |
| March | 1,262 | 0 |
| April | 981 | 0 |
| May | 715 | 0 |
| June | 453 | 0 |
| July | 236 | 5 |
| August | 284 | 2 |
| September | 530 | 0 |
| October | 902 | 0 |
| November | 1,272 | 0 |
| December | 1,590 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 11,140 | 7 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00486845. 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 Old Faithful been warmer than normal?
2021 averaged 35.7°F, 1.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 34.4°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35.7°F | +1.3°F | 25.94 | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00486845. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Old Faithful's climate compare?
Old Faithful is warmer than 1 of the 71 places with their own NOAA record in Wyoming, and wetter than 62. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 34.4°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Old Faithful 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 Old Faithful's climate
What is the coldest month at Old Faithful?
December, with a normal high of 27°F and a normal low of 1°F. The warmest is July (76°F by day, 39°F at night).
Does it snow at Old Faithful?
Yes: 197 inches in a normal year, falling on 80 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (45.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Old Faithful?
December, with 2.78 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 1.25 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Old Faithful in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Old Faithful in zone 4b in ZIP code 82190, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −34°F (25 years, 1991-2020): zone 3b.
Nearby and next
- Wyoming climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- West Yellowstone, MT19 miles from this station, 35.2°F a year
- Yellowstone Lake, WY21 miles from this station, 32.0°F a year
- Lake Yellowstone, WY22 miles from this station, 33.8°F a year
- Snake River, WY24 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