Pathfinder Dam, WY Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Pathfinder Dam's primary NOAA station, PATHFINDER DAM.
The climate verdict for Pathfinder Dam
Dryness leads the climate profile for Pathfinder Dam, Wyoming, with 11.2 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 46°F. At 52/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 24% of scores.
- 46°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 52/100
- comfort score, above 24% of station-mapped location scores
- 11.2"
- yearly precipitation total
- 151 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Pathfinder Dam: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00487105 · Pathfinder Dam, WY 46°F mean · 11.2" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 46°F
- RANK-COOL #1,647
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Lewiston
- PRCP-ARID 11.2"
- SWING-WIDE 47°F
- COMF-LOW 52/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,270 HDD
- STN-1 USC00487105
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Lewiston, ME (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every WY station list.
- Pathfinder Dam (this station) 46°F
- Hot Rapid City, SD 46°F
- Near Lewiston, ME 46°F
- Near West Bend, WI 46°F
- Near Douglas, WY 46°F
Pathfinder Dam sits in Wyoming, the #5 coldest U.S. state at 43.3°F statewide annual average - see all 50 coldest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Pathfinder Dam
Pathfinder Dam: 25/100 · grade F
Pathfinder Dam publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Pathfinder Dam, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 52/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 173 calendar days | 30/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 151 days/year | 26/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 46.3°F · 21.2° from 67.5°F | 24/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 11.2 in · 23.8 from 35 in | 16/100 · F |
Pathfinder Dam · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Pathfinder Dam's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 71.7°F
- Coldest month
- 24.6°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Pathfinder Dam sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Pathfinder Dam's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 76%
- Among 6,861 stations, Pathfinder Dam sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 91%
- Pathfinder Dam's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 69th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Pathfinder Dam compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Pathfinder Dam's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
52 24th percentile score exceeds 24% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Pathfinder Dam's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 65 complete annual observations from 1900 to 2025, PATHFINDER DAM changed little at a fitted rate of 0.01°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Pathfinder Dam primary station fitted change +0.02 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F (1°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 0.6" | 30.2 | 0.0 |
| February | 36°F (2°C) | 17°F (-9°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 0.5" | 26.4 | 0.0 |
| March | 46°F (8°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 0.8" | 22.9 | 0.0 |
| April | 54°F (12°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 1.2" | 15.3 | 0.0 |
| May | 64°F (18°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 1.9" | 4.1 | 0.0 |
| June | 77°F (25°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 1.4" | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| July | 86°F (30°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 0.7" | 0.0 | 8.0 |
| August | 83°F (28°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 1.1" | 0.0 | 5.8 |
| September | 73°F (23°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 0.8" | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| October | 58°F (15°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 1.1" | 9.6 | 0.0 |
| November | 45°F (7°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 0.5" | 19.9 | 0.0 |
| December | 33°F (1°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 26°F (-4°C) | 0.5" | 28.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 87°F around July 20, short of 90°F on every date, while 173 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 15°F near February 6.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 20, then returns to freezing around October 31, covering 173 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 20, when 36% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 27 at 18%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 92 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 4 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 28°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Pathfinder Dam.
Where Pathfinder Dam Stands Nationally
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 11 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Pathfinder Dam earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
6.9 days with precipitation
6.6 days with precipitation
7.5 days with precipitation
10.2 days with precipitation
10.8 days with precipitation
7.8 days with precipitation
7.2 days with precipitation
5.9 days with precipitation
6.3 days with precipitation
8.2 days with precipitation
5.8 days with precipitation
7.8 days with precipitation
Pathfinder Dam spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 28% of the annual total and December through February 14%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Pathfinder Dam has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 47.1°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 1.9" and February 0.5". The three wettest months together take 41% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Pathfinder Dam is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 91 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 25% of the calendar, and they carry 11.2" between them. At roughly 0.12 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is May at about 11 wet days; the driest is November at about 6.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 7
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 9
50% probability date
Growing Season
151 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,270
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
491
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WY closest to Pathfinder Dam on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (46°F here).
- Binghamton, NY 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Chewelah, WA 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Delanson, NY 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Gardiner, MT 46°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (11.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Madras, OR 11.2" · 0.0" off
- Ordway, CO 11.2" · 0.0" off
- Dinosaur, CO 11.2" · 0.0" off
- Madera, CA 11.3" · 0.1" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Pathfinder Dam's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Pathfinder Dam's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,270 annual heating degree days against 491 for cooling. Its 47.1°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Pathfinder Dam's frost-free season lasts about 151 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Pathfinder Dam's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 47.1°F. The annual average is 46°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Pathfinder Dam's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 11.2 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Pathfinder Dam wettest normal
May
May concentrates the scarce annual total (11.2 inches).
Pathfinder Dam driest normal
February
February is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Pathfinder Dam's climate
How dry is Pathfinder Dam? ▼
How cold does Pathfinder Dam get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Pathfinder Dam? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Pathfinder Dam's primary station: PATHFINDER DAM (USC00487105). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Pathfinder Dam; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Pathfinder Dam comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.