Pioche, Nevada climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Pioche's normal year runs from 22°F December nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 12.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.8°C, December lows of −6°C, July highs of 30°C, 327 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPioche
- Station IDUSC00266252
- Location37.93°N 114.45°W
- Elevation5,990 ft (1,826 m)
- Population (census place)1,213
On October 22, the normal high in Pioche is 62°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 13%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Pioche.
- Jan 43° 23°
- Feb 46° 25°
- Mar 53° 31°
- Apr 59° 36°
- May 68° 45°
- Jun 79° 55°
- Jul 86° 62°
- Aug 84° 60°
- Sep 77° 52°
- Oct 65° 41°
- Nov 53° 30°
- Dec 43° 22°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Pioche each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in February (1.66 in), the least in June (0.52 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43°F | 23°F | 33.1°F | 1.14 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 46°F | 25°F | 35.2°F | 1.66 | 6 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 53°F | 31°F | 41.7°F | 1.40 | 5 | <1 | 19 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 36°F | 47.4°F | 0.71 | 4 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 68°F | 45°F | 56.5°F | 0.92 | 4 | <1 | 3 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 79°F | 55°F | 66.9°F | 0.52 | 2 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 86°F | 62°F | 74.0°F | 0.84 | 4 | 11 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 84°F | 60°F | 72.3°F | 1.30 | 5 | 8 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 77°F | 52°F | 64.2°F | 0.95 | 4 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 41°F | 52.7°F | 1.13 | 4 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 53°F | 30°F | 41.4°F | 0.68 | 3 | <1 | 20 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 43°F | 22°F | 32.4°F | 1.61 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 40°F | 51.5°F | 12.86 | 51 | 22 | 141 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −5°C | 0.6°C | 29 mm |
| February | 8°C | −4°C | 1.8°C | 42 mm |
| March | 12°C | −1°C | 5.4°C | 36 mm |
| April | 15°C | 2°C | 8.6°C | 18 mm |
| May | 20°C | 7°C | 13.6°C | 23 mm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.4°C | 13 mm |
| July | 30°C | 17°C | 23.3°C | 21 mm |
| August | 29°C | 16°C | 22.4°C | 33 mm |
| September | 25°C | 11°C | 17.9°C | 24 mm |
| October | 18°C | 5°C | 11.5°C | 29 mm |
| November | 12°C | −1°C | 5.2°C | 17 mm |
| December | 6°C | −6°C | 0.2°C | 41 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Cathedral Gorge State Park (9 miles away), gets 12 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00266252; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Pioche?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August and September. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (2).
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 USC00266252.
When is the last frost in Pioche?
In Pioche, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 2 in half of years and after May 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 17 in half of years and before October 3 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 21 year in 10 after May 23; 9 in 10 after April 17
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 171 year in 10 before October 3; 9 in 10 before November 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 166 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 191 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 19 in half of springs and before October 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pioche in zone 7a in ZIP code 89042, 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 USC00266252; 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 in Pioche?
In a normal year in Pioche, 22 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 141 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 51 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 22a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 141a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 7high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 51a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1888) is 109°F, on July 22, 1906; the lowest is −16°F, on January 15, 1888.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1978, with 27.29 in; the snowiest season is 1948–49, with 99.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00266252; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00266252. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Pioche?
Over a year 88% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Pioche, 5.5 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (94%) and December the cloudiest (79%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 82% | 2.9 |
| February | 80% | 3.8 |
| March | 84% | 5.2 |
| April | 86% | 6.6 |
| May | 89% | 7.7 |
| June | 94% | 8.5 |
| July | 90% | 7.7 |
| August | 92% | 7.1 |
| September | 93% | 6.1 |
| October | 89% | 4.5 |
| November | 86% | 3.2 |
| December | 79% | 2.5 |
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 much heating and cooling does Pioche need?
A normal year in Pioche brings 5,618 heating degree days, 5% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 716 cooling degree days, 21% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,838 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 987 | 0 |
| February | 836 | 0 |
| March | 721 | 0 |
| April | 528 | 0 |
| May | 283 | 18 |
| June | 66 | 123 |
| July | 4 | 281 |
| August | 5 | 231 |
| September | 86 | 60 |
| October | 384 | 3 |
| November | 708 | 0 |
| December | 1,010 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,618 | 716 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00266252. 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.
How does Pioche's climate compare?
Pioche is warmer than 24 of the other 54 places with their own NOAA record in Nevada, and wetter than 47. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 51.5°F is warmer than 47%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Pioche 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.
Questions about Pioche's climate
What is the coldest month in Pioche?
December, with a normal high of 43°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Pioche?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Pioche's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Cathedral Gorge State Park (9 miles away), records 12 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Pioche?
February, with 1.66 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.52 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Pioche in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Pioche in zone 7a in ZIP code 89042, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Pioche?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 2; 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
- Nevada climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cathedral Gorge State Park, NV9 miles from this station, 52.0°F a year
- Spring Valley State Park, NV17 miles from this station, 45.1°F a year
- Caliente, NV22 miles from this station, 53.7°F a year
- Modena, UT30 miles from this station, 50.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made