Shirley Basin, Wyoming climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Shirley Basin's normal year runs from 1°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 11.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.3°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 27°C, 282 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationShirley Basin
- Station IDUSC00488192
- Location42.37°N 106.11°W
- Elevation7,057 ft (2,151 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Shirley Basin is 51°F and the normal low 21°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 21%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Shirley Basin.
- Jan 28° 1°
- Feb 31° 4°
- Mar 41° 15°
- Apr 50° 24°
- May 60° 32°
- Jun 73° 39°
- Jul 81° 46°
- Aug 80° 43°
- Sep 69° 34°
- Oct 54° 23°
- Nov 40° 14°
- Dec 29° 3°
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 Shirley Basin each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 1°F. The most precipitation falls in May (1.83 in), the least in November (0.43 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 1°F | 14.7°F | 0.50 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 31°F | 4°F | 17.6°F | 0.62 | 9 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 41°F | 15°F | 27.7°F | 0.80 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 50°F | 24°F | 36.5°F | 1.29 | 11 | <1 | 29 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 60°F | 32°F | 46.1°F | 1.83 | 11 | <1 | 19 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 73°F | 39°F | 56.0°F | 1.35 | 8 | <1 | 7 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 81°F | 46°F | 63.5°F | 1.30 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 15 h |
| August | 80°F | 43°F | 61.3°F | 0.83 | 7 | <1 | 2 | 14 h |
| September | 69°F | 34°F | 51.4°F | 0.93 | 6 | <1 | 16 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 54°F | 23°F | 38.7°F | 0.80 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 40°F | 14°F | 26.6°F | 0.43 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 29°F | 3°F | 15.8°F | 0.43 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 23°F | 38.0°F | 11.11 | 93 | 1 | 252 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −17°C | −9.6°C | 13 mm |
| February | −1°C | −15°C | −8.0°C | 16 mm |
| March | 5°C | −10°C | −2.4°C | 20 mm |
| April | 10°C | −5°C | 2.5°C | 33 mm |
| May | 16°C | 0°C | 7.8°C | 46 mm |
| June | 23°C | 4°C | 13.3°C | 34 mm |
| July | 27°C | 8°C | 17.5°C | 33 mm |
| August | 26°C | 6°C | 16.3°C | 21 mm |
| September | 21°C | 1°C | 10.8°C | 24 mm |
| October | 12°C | −5°C | 3.7°C | 20 mm |
| November | 4°C | −10°C | −3.0°C | 11 mm |
| December | −2°C | −16°C | −9.0°C | 11 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Bates Creek #2 (22 miles away), gets 69 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00488192; 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 Shirley Basin?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September 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 USC00488192.
How hot and how cold does it get at Shirley Basin?
In a normal year in Shirley Basin, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 252 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 93 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 252a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 81high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 93a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00488192.
How sunny is it at Shirley Basin?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Shirley Basin, 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 Shirley Basin record?
A normal year at Shirley Basin brings 9,876 heating degree days, 84% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 62 cooling degree days, 93% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,151 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,559 | 0 |
| February | 1,329 | 0 |
| March | 1,155 | 0 |
| April | 854 | 0 |
| May | 586 | 0 |
| June | 274 | 4 |
| July | 85 | 37 |
| August | 135 | 20 |
| September | 409 | 1 |
| October | 814 | 0 |
| November | 1,154 | 0 |
| December | 1,523 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,876 | 62 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00488192. 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 Shirley Basin been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 39.7°F, 1.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 38.0°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2024 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 39.0°F | +1.0°F | 8.40 |
| 2025 | 39.7°F | +1.7°F | 10.29 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00488192. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Shirley Basin's climate compare?
Shirley Basin is warmer than 9 of the 71 places with their own NOAA record in Wyoming, and wetter than 25. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 38.0°F is warmer than 3%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Shirley Basin is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. 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 Shirley Basin's climate
What is the coldest month at Shirley Basin?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 1°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 46°F at night).
Does it snow at Shirley Basin?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Bates Creek #2 (22 miles away), records 69 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Shirley Basin?
May, with 1.83 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is November with 0.43 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Shirley Basin in?
By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −34°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 3b.
Nearby and next
- Wyoming climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Bates Creek #2, WY22 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Medicine Bow, WY33 miles from this station, 42.2°F a year
- Double Four Ranch, WY39 miles from this station, 44.4°F a year
- Pathfinder Dam, WY39 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made