Shell, WY Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Shell's primary NOAA station, SHELL.
The climate verdict for Shell
Dryness leads the climate profile for Shell, Wyoming, with 10.1 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 45°F. At 39/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 4% of scores.
- 45°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 39/100
- comfort score, above 4% of station-mapped location scores
- 10.1"
- annual precipitation · 28" snow
- 131 days
- frost-free growing season
Shell: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00488124 · Shell, WY 45°F mean · 10.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 45°F
- RANK-COOL #1,235
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Sand Creek
- PRCP-ARID 10.1"
- SWING-WIDE 52°F
- COMF-LOW 39/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,809 HDD
- STN-1 USC00488124
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Sand Creek, MT (+ 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.
- Shell (this station) 45°F
- Cold Marinette, WI 45°F
- Hot Sheridan Fld, WY 45°F
- Near Sand Creek, MT 45°F
- Near St Albans Radio, VT 45°F
Shell 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 · Shell
Shell: 16/100 · grade F
Shell publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Shell, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 39/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 28.2 inches/year | 40/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 44.8°F · 22.7° from 67.5°F | 19/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 131 days/year | 13/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 10.1 in · 24.9 from 35 in | 12/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 218 calendar days | 6/100 · F |
Shell · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Shell'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
- 71.3°F
- Coldest month
- 19.5°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 Shell sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Shell's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 82%
- Among 6,861 stations, Shell sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 93%
- Shell's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 85%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Shell is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Shell compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Shell's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
39 4th percentile score exceeds 4% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 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 | 33°F (0°C) | 6°F (-14°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 0.5" | 7.3" | 31.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 37°F (3°C) | 11°F (-12°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 0.5" | 6.4" | 27.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 50°F (10°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 0.5" | 2.7" | 28.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 59°F (15°C) | 29°F (-1°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 1.1" | 1.4" | 20.1 | 0.0 |
| May | 69°F (20°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 1.9" | 0.0" | 6.0 | 0.4 |
| June | 79°F (26°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 1.4" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 5.2 |
| July | 89°F (32°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 17.0 |
| August | 87°F (31°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 15.2 |
| September | 76°F (24°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 1.1" | 0.0" | 3.6 | 3.0 |
| October | 60°F (16°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 1.0" | 0.9" | 21.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 45°F (7°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 0.7" | 3.9" | 28.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 34°F (1°C) | 8°F (-13°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 0.4" | 5.6" | 30.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Shell works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 91°F by July 25 and hold at or above 90°F on 18 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 200 dates, bottoming at 6°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 17 through August 3, covering 18 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 20 to September 27.
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 26, then returns to freezing around October 10, covering 200 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 24, when 31% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is December 6 at 12%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 64 wet dates a year.
The widest day
August 1 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 36°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Shell.
Where Shell Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 200 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 10 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Shell 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: 7.3"
4.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.4"
4.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.7"
3.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.4"
6.3 days with precipitation
9.5 days with precipitation
7.4 days with precipitation
4.2 days with precipitation
3.8 days with precipitation
5.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.9"
5.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.9"
4.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.6"
3.6 days with precipitation
Shell spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 25% of the annual total and December through February 14%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Shell has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 51.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 1.9" and December 0.4". The three wettest months together take 43% 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.
Shell is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 63 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 17% of the calendar, and they carry 10.1" between them. At roughly 0.16 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 10 wet days; the driest is December 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 Shell
Shell averages 28.2 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 15 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: 28.2 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 15 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 28% 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
September 24
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 16
50% probability date
Growing Season
131 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,809
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
466
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WY closest to Shell 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 (45°F here).
- Dannemora, NY 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Estherville, IA 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Hamilton, MT 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Harrison, NE 45°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (10.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Dillon, MT 10.1" · 0.0" off
- Koosharem, UT 10.1" · 0.0" off
- Santa Teresa, NM 10.1" · 0.0" off
- Lind, WA 10.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Shell
heating led · dry · mid swing
Shell's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,809 annual heating degree days against 466 for cooling. Its 51.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 131 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. Shell coldest normal
January
Averaging 20°F (-7°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Shell typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Shell snow peak
January
Shell averages 28.2 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Shell's climate
How much snow does Shell get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Shell get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Shell? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Shell's primary station: SHELL (USC00488124). 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 a census-designated place (GEOID 5669700), not an incorporated municipality. Match rule for Shell: 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 Shell 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.