Pocatello, ID Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Pocatello's primary NOAA station, POCATELLO 2 NE.
The climate verdict for Pocatello
Dryness leads the climate profile for Pocatello, Idaho, with 13.5 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 49°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 49°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 13.5"
- annual precipitation · 64" snow
- 139 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Pocatello: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00107208 · Pocatello, ID 49°F mean · 13.5" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 49°F
- RANK-COOL #2,333
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Nashua
- PRCP-DRY 13.5"
- SWING-WIDE 46°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,571 HDD
- STN-1 USC00107208
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Nashua, NH (+ 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 ID station list.
- Pocatello (this station) 49°F
- Cold Hot Springs, SD 49°F
- Hot Leroy, CO 49°F
- Near Nashua, NH 49°F
- Near Tecumseh, MI 49°F
Climate Living Index · Pocatello
Pocatello: 26/100 · grade F
Pocatello publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Pocatello, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 48.7°F · 18.8° from 67.5°F | 35/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 178 calendar days | 26/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 13.5 in · 21.5 from 35 in | 23/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 139 days/year | 18/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 63.6 inches/year | 13/100 · F |
Pocatello · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Pocatello is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 27.4°F and warmest-month mean 73.2°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfa
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 73.2°F
- Coldest month
- 27.4°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 Pocatello sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Pocatello's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 34th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 86%
- Pocatello's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 63rd percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Pocatello compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Pocatello's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 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
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F (2°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 1.1" | 13.5" | 29.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 41°F (5°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 1.0" | 10.5" | 24.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 51°F (10°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 1.3" | 8.1" | 20.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 58°F (15°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.4" | 4.8" | 13.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 69°F (20°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 1.5" | 0.8" | 3.1 | 0.6 |
| June | 79°F (26°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 1.1" | 0.1" | 0.4 | 5.3 |
| July | 89°F (32°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 17.5 |
| August | 88°F (31°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 0.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 15.0 |
| September | 77°F (25°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 1.2" | 0.1" | 0.8 | 2.3 |
| October | 62°F (16°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 1.1" | 2.3" | 8.6 | 0.1 |
| November | 46°F (8°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 1.0" | 7.0" | 21.9 | 0.0 |
| December | 35°F (2°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 1.2" | 16.4" | 27.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Pocatello works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 91°F by July 25 and hold at or above 90°F on 23 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 155 dates, bottoming at 19°F around December 23.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 16 through August 7, covering 23 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 20 to September 29.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 3, then returns to freezing around November 1, covering 155 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 December 28, when 43% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 7 at 14%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 105 wet dates a year.
The widest day
July 13 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 33°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Pocatello.
Where Pocatello Stands Nationally
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 14 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Daily temperature swings run wider than most of the country, peaking near 33°F between the normal high and low.
Pocatello earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 13.5"
13.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.5"
9.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.1"
9.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.8"
10.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.8"
9.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
7.4 days with precipitation
4.4 days with precipitation
5.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
5.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.3"
7.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.0"
8.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 16.4"
13.6 days with precipitation
Pocatello spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 19% of the annual total and December through February 25%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Pocatello has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 45.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 1.5" and July 0.6". The three wettest months together take 31% 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.
Pocatello is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 105 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 29% of the calendar, and they carry 13.5" between them. At roughly 0.13 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 December at about 14 wet days; the driest is July at about 4.
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.
Winter brings real snow to Pocatello
Pocatello averages 63.6 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 51 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 63.6 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 51 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 47% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 2
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 16
50% probability date
Growing Season
139 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,571
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
670
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside ID closest to Pocatello 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 (49°F here).
- Clarkson, NE 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Cuba, NM 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Dove Creek, CO 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Guernsey, WY 49°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (13.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- San Jose, CA 13.5" · 0.0" off
- Ignacio, CO 13.5" · 0.0" off
- Stockton, CA 13.4" · 0.0" off
- Anaheim, CA 13.5" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Pocatello
heating led · dry · mid swing
Pocatello's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,571 annual heating degree days against 670 for cooling. Its 45.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 139 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Pocatello coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 27°F (-3°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Pocatello typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Pocatello snow peak
December
Pocatello averages 63.6 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Pocatello's climate
How much snow does Pocatello get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Pocatello get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Pocatello? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Pocatello's primary station: POCATELLO 2 NE (USC00107208). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 1664090). Match rule for Pocatello: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Pocatello 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.