Pathfinder Dam, Wyoming climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Pathfinder Dam's normal year runs from 16°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 11.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.9°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 30°C, 284 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPathfinder Dam
- Station IDUSC00487105
- Location42.47°N 106.85°W
- Elevation5,923 ft (1,805 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Pathfinder Dam is 55°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 25%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Pathfinder Dam.
- Jan 33° 16°
- Feb 36° 17°
- Mar 46° 26°
- Apr 54° 32°
- May 64° 41°
- Jun 77° 50°
- Jul 86° 58°
- Aug 83° 57°
- Sep 73° 48°
- Oct 58° 36°
- Nov 45° 27°
- Dec 33° 18°
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 Pathfinder Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in May (1.93 in), the least in February (0.48 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 16°F | 24.6°F | 0.58 | 7 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 36°F | 17°F | 26.1°F | 0.48 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 46°F | 26°F | 36.0°F | 0.83 | 8 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 32°F | 42.7°F | 1.24 | 10 | <1 | 15 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 64°F | 41°F | 52.4°F | 1.93 | 11 | <1 | 4 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 77°F | 50°F | 63.3°F | 1.37 | 8 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 86°F | 58°F | 71.7°F | 0.74 | 7 | 8 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 83°F | 57°F | 69.9°F | 1.05 | 6 | 6 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 73°F | 48°F | 60.2°F | 0.83 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 58°F | 36°F | 47.2°F | 1.13 | 8 | <1 | 10 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 45°F | 27°F | 36.0°F | 0.49 | 6 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 33°F | 18°F | 25.5°F | 0.53 | 8 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 35°F | 46.3°F | 11.20 | 91 | 16 | 158 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −9°C | −4.1°C | 15 mm |
| February | 2°C | −9°C | −3.3°C | 12 mm |
| March | 8°C | −3°C | 2.2°C | 21 mm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 5.9°C | 31 mm |
| May | 18°C | 5°C | 11.3°C | 49 mm |
| June | 25°C | 10°C | 17.4°C | 35 mm |
| July | 30°C | 14°C | 22.1°C | 19 mm |
| August | 28°C | 14°C | 21.1°C | 27 mm |
| September | 23°C | 9°C | 15.7°C | 21 mm |
| October | 15°C | 2°C | 8.4°C | 29 mm |
| November | 7°C | −3°C | 2.2°C | 12 mm |
| December | 1°C | −8°C | −3.6°C | 13 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Leo (6 mi SW) (19 miles away), gets 50 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00487105; 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 Pathfinder Dam?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, August and September. Of those, August 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 USC00487105.
When is the last frost at Pathfinder Dam?
In Pathfinder Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 9 in half of years and after May 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 7 in half of years and before September 22 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 91 year in 10 after May 23; 9 in 10 after April 28
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 71 year in 10 before September 22; 9 in 10 before October 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 148 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 167 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pathfinder Dam in zone 5a in ZIP code 82620, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Wyoming · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00487105; 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 Pathfinder Dam?
In a normal year in Pathfinder Dam, 16 days a year reach 90°F, 158 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 91 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 16a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 158a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 45high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 91a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1905) is 100°F, on July 14, 1925; the lowest is −39°F, on January 17, 1930.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1937, with 16.11 in; the snowiest season is 1944–45, with 79.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00487105; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00487105. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Pathfinder Dam?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Pathfinder Dam, 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and December the cloudiest (68%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 2.1 |
| February | 70% | 3.0 |
| March | 72% | 4.2 |
| April | 72% | 5.4 |
| May | 75% | 6.4 |
| June | 84% | 7.5 |
| July | 86% | 7.3 |
| August | 86% | 6.4 |
| September | 85% | 5.2 |
| October | 77% | 3.5 |
| November | 75% | 2.4 |
| December | 68% | 1.7 |
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 Pathfinder Dam record?
A normal year at Pathfinder Dam brings 7,270 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 491 cooling degree days, 46% 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 2,288 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,251 | 0 |
| February | 1,089 | 0 |
| March | 899 | 0 |
| April | 668 | 0 |
| May | 398 | 5 |
| June | 108 | 56 |
| July | 9 | 216 |
| August | 24 | 176 |
| September | 179 | 36 |
| October | 553 | 2 |
| November | 870 | 0 |
| December | 1,224 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,270 | 491 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00487105. 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 Pathfinder Dam been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 50.0°F, 3.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.3°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47.5°F | +1.2°F | 15.32 |
| 2022 | 46.1°F | −0.2°F | 10.93 |
| 2024 | 50.2°F | +3.9°F | 7.97 |
| 2025 | 50.0°F | +3.7°F | 9.78 |
Over 65 complete years from 1900 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 0.3°F per century (+0.01°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00487105; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Pathfinder Dam's climate compare?
Pathfinder Dam is warmer than 54 of the 71 places with their own NOAA record in Wyoming, and wetter than 26. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.3°F is warmer than 25%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Pathfinder Dam 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.
Which places near Pathfinder Dam share this climate record?
Alcova has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Alcova, WY88 people · 8 mi NE
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 Pathfinder Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at Pathfinder Dam?
January, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow at Pathfinder Dam?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Leo (6 mi SW) (19 miles away), records 50 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Pathfinder Dam?
May, with 1.93 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.48 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Pathfinder Dam in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Pathfinder Dam in zone 5a in ZIP code 82620, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Pathfinder Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 9; in one year in ten it comes after May 23. Waiting until May 23 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Wyoming climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Leo (6 mi SW), WY19 miles from this station, 45.9°F a year
- Seminoe Reservoir USBR, WY22 miles from this station, 43.9°F a year
- Bates Creek #2, WY27 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Muddy Gap, WY31 miles from this station, 45.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made