Reno, Nevada climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Reno's normal year runs from 26°F December nights to 94°F July afternoons, with 7.3 inches of precipitation and 21 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.8°C, December lows of −4°C, July highs of 34°C, 187 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationReno Airport
- Station IDUSW00023185
- Location39.48°N 119.77°W
- Elevation4,410 ft (1,344 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population281,714
On October 23, the normal high in Reno is 67°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 10%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Reno.
- Jan 48° 26°
- Feb 52° 29°
- Mar 59° 34°
- Apr 65° 39°
- May 74° 47°
- Jun 85° 54°
- Jul 94° 60°
- Aug 92° 58°
- Sep 84° 50°
- Oct 70° 40°
- Nov 57° 31°
- Dec 47° 26°
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 Reno each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 94°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 26°F. The most precipitation falls in January (1.25 in), the least in July (0.20 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48°F | 26°F | 36.9°F | 1.25 | 5.2 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 52°F | 29°F | 40.6°F | 1.03 | 5.2 | 7 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 59°F | 34°F | 46.6°F | 0.80 | 2.9 | 6 | <1 | 15 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 65°F | 39°F | 51.6°F | 0.44 | 0.4 | 5 | <1 | 7 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 74°F | 47°F | 60.3°F | 0.55 | 0.1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 85°F | 54°F | 69.2°F | 0.41 | 0.0 | 3 | 10 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 94°F | 60°F | 77.2°F | 0.20 | 0.0 | 2 | 24 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 92°F | 58°F | 75.1°F | 0.24 | 0.0 | 2 | 22 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 84°F | 50°F | 67.0°F | 0.21 | 0.0 | 2 | 8 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 70°F | 40°F | 55.1°F | 0.50 | 0.1 | 3 | <1 | 5 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 57°F | 31°F | 43.8°F | 0.62 | 1.8 | 4 | <1 | 19 | 10 h |
| December | 47°F | 26°F | 36.2°F | 1.10 | 5.2 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 69°F | 41°F | 55.0°F | 7.35 | 20.9 | 51 | 65 | 122 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | −3°C | 2.7°C | 32 mm | 13 cm |
| February | 11°C | −2°C | 4.8°C | 26 mm | 13 cm |
| March | 15°C | 1°C | 8.1°C | 20 mm | 7 cm |
| April | 18°C | 4°C | 10.9°C | 11 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 23°C | 8°C | 15.7°C | 14 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 12°C | 20.7°C | 10 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 34°C | 16°C | 25.1°C | 5 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 33°C | 15°C | 23.9°C | 6 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 29°C | 10°C | 19.4°C | 5 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 21°C | 4°C | 12.8°C | 13 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 14°C | −1°C | 6.6°C | 16 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 8°C | −4°C | 2.3°C | 28 mm | 13 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023185; 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 Reno?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, September 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 USW00023185.
When is the last frost in Reno?
In Reno, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 20 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 23 in half of years and before October 11 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
- April 201 year in 10 after May 5; 9 in 10 after April 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 231 year in 10 before October 11; 9 in 10 before November 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 184 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 213 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 3 in half of springs and before November 2 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Reno in zones 7a to 7b across its 11 ZIP code areas (7b in 89506, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Reno's NOAA station is in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 7°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Nevada · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00023185; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Reno ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Reno's 11 ZIP code areas run from zone 7a to 7b: 4 in 7a and 7 in 7b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Reno?
In a normal year in Reno, 65 days a year reach 90°F (6 of them 100°F or more), 122 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 51 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 65a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 122a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 4high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 51a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 6a normal year
The highest temperature in Reno's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 108°F, on July 11, 2002; the lowest is −17°F, on January 21, 1916.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2017, with 13.73 in; the snowiest season is 1915–16, with 72.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00023185; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record RNOthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Reno, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 37°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 39°F; the driest air comes in December (22°F). April is the windiest month (8.0 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (76%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 60% | 38% | 4.5 mph | 39% | 27% |
| February | 23°F | 52% | 32% | 6.5 mph | 39% | 24% |
| March | 24°F | 41% | 24% | 7.9 mph | 41% | 18% |
| April | 28°F | 36% | 21% | 8.0 mph | 49% | 15% |
| May | 34°F | 34% | 19% | 7.7 mph | 50% | 12% |
| June | 36°F | 28% | 15% | 7.3 mph | 72% | 5% |
| July | 39°F | 28% | 14% | 6.6 mph | 71% | 3% |
| August | 36°F | 29% | 14% | 5.8 mph | 76% | 3% |
| September | 32°F | 37% | 18% | 4.8 mph | 70% | 6% |
| October | 27°F | 47% | 25% | 4.5 mph | 54% | 14% |
| November | 23°F | 58% | 37% | 4.9 mph | 46% | 19% |
| December | 22°F | 65% | 44% | 4.3 mph | 39% | 27% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00023185. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Reno?
Over a year 86% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Reno, 5.2 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (94%) and December the cloudiest (71%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 81st (with 7 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.4 |
| February | 76% | 3.4 |
| March | 79% | 4.8 |
| April | 83% | 6.3 |
| May | 85% | 7.3 |
| June | 92% | 8.3 |
| July | 93% | 8.0 |
| August | 94% | 7.3 |
| September | 93% | 5.9 |
| October | 89% | 4.3 |
| November | 81% | 2.8 |
| December | 71% | 2.0 |
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 Reno need?
A normal year in Reno brings 4,669 heating degree days, 13% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,038 cooling degree days, 14% more 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 3,420 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 871 | 0 |
| February | 685 | 0 |
| March | 571 | 0 |
| April | 404 | 2 |
| May | 187 | 43 |
| June | 47 | 173 |
| July | 3 | 379 |
| August | 3 | 316 |
| September | 57 | 118 |
| October | 317 | 8 |
| November | 634 | 0 |
| December | 892 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,669 | 1,038 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00023185. 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.
Has Reno been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 56.7°F, 1.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 55.0°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56.1°F | +1.1°F | 8.39 | 16.8 |
| 2022 | 55.6°F | +0.6°F | 8.34 | 23.5 |
| 2023 | 54.1°F | −0.9°F | 10.46 | 34.5 |
| 2024 | 56.6°F | +1.6°F | 7.04 | 29.3 |
| 2025 | 56.7°F | +1.7°F | 9.57 | 8.3 |
Over 115 complete years from 1892 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.2°F per century (+0.23°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00023185; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Reno's climate compare?
Reno is warmer than 42 of the other 54 places with their own NOAA record in Nevada, and wetter than 18. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 55.0°F is warmer than 60%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Reno 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.
What do Reno's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Reno. This page uses Reno Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reno Weather Office USC00266791 | 3 mi NE | 4,987 ft | 54.4°F | 27°F | 93°F | 8.1 | 30 | April 28 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Reno's climate
What is the coldest month in Reno?
December, with a normal high of 47°F and a normal low of 26°F. The warmest is July (94°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Reno?
Yes: 21 inches in a normal year, falling on 14 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (5.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Reno?
January, with 1.25 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.20 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Reno in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Reno in zones 7a to 7b across its 11 ZIP code areas (7b in 89506, the largest). By the same method at Reno's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 7°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 7b.
How late can frost come in Reno?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 20; in one year in ten it comes after May 5. Waiting until May 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Reno in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Nevada climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Sparks, NV6 miles from this station, 53.5°F a year
- Spanish Springs, NV11 miles from this station, 52.0°F a year
- Stead, NV11 miles from this station, 51.0°F a year
- Virginia City, NV14 miles from this station, 50.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made