Smith (6 mi N), Nevada climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Smith (6 mi N)'s normal year runs from 18°F December nights to 93°F July afternoons, with 6.2 inches of precipitation and less than an inch of snow (0.7 in) a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.6°C, December lows of −8°C, July highs of 34°C, 158 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSmith (6 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00267612
- Location38.88°N 119.35°W
- Elevation5,000 ft (1,524 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Smith (6 mi N) is 66°F and the normal low 30°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 8%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Smith (6 mi N).
- Jan 46° 19°
- Feb 51° 23°
- Mar 59° 28°
- Apr 64° 33°
- May 74° 40°
- Jun 84° 47°
- Jul 93° 54°
- Aug 91° 52°
- Sep 82° 44°
- Oct 69° 33°
- Nov 55° 24°
- Dec 45° 18°
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 Smith (6 mi N) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 93°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 18°F. The most precipitation falls in January (0.97 in), the least in September (0.13 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 19°F | 32.3°F | 0.97 | 5 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 51°F | 23°F | 36.8°F | 0.75 | 5 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 59°F | 28°F | 43.4°F | 0.85 | 4 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 64°F | 33°F | 48.5°F | 0.36 | 3 | <1 | 17 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 74°F | 40°F | 56.8°F | 0.69 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 84°F | 47°F | 65.5°F | 0.39 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 93°F | 54°F | 73.3°F | 0.33 | 3 | 23 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 91°F | 52°F | 71.4°F | 0.21 | 1 | 21 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 82°F | 44°F | 63.0°F | 0.13 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 69°F | 33°F | 51.1°F | 0.40 | 2 | <1 | 17 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 55°F | 24°F | 39.4°F | 0.49 | 3 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 45°F | 18°F | 31.5°F | 0.67 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 68°F | 35°F | 51.1°F | 6.24 | 37 | 60 | 173 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −7°C | 0.2°C | 25 mm |
| February | 10°C | −5°C | 2.7°C | 19 mm |
| March | 15°C | −2°C | 6.3°C | 22 mm |
| April | 18°C | 0°C | 9.2°C | 9 mm |
| May | 23°C | 5°C | 13.8°C | 18 mm |
| June | 29°C | 8°C | 18.6°C | 10 mm |
| July | 34°C | 12°C | 22.9°C | 8 mm |
| August | 33°C | 11°C | 21.9°C | 5 mm |
| September | 28°C | 6°C | 17.2°C | 3 mm |
| October | 21°C | 1°C | 10.6°C | 10 mm |
| November | 13°C | −5°C | 4.1°C | 12 mm |
| December | 7°C | −8°C | −0.3°C | 17 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00267612; 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 Smith (6 mi N)?
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 USC00267612.
When is the last frost at Smith (6 mi N)?
In Smith (6 mi N), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 23 in half of years and after June 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 28 in half of years and before September 12 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 231 year in 10 after June 10; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 281 year in 10 before September 12; 9 in 10 before October 11
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 127 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 154 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 5 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Smith (6 mi N) in zone 6b in ZIP code 89430, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −2°F (24 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 USC00267612; 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.
How hot and how cold does it get at Smith (6 mi N)?
In a normal year in Smith (6 mi N), 60 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 173 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 37 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 60a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 173a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 7high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 37a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1973) is 106°F, on July 11, 2002; the lowest is −27°F, on February 7, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1995, with 13.22 in; the snowiest season is 1988–89, with 21.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00267612; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00267612. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Smith (6 mi N)?
Over a year 84% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Smith (6 mi N), 5.3 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (93%) and March the cloudiest (74%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 2.6 |
| February | 74% | 3.5 |
| March | 74% | 4.6 |
| April | 78% | 6.0 |
| May | 82% | 7.1 |
| June | 91% | 8.3 |
| July | 91% | 8.0 |
| August | 93% | 7.3 |
| September | 92% | 6.0 |
| October | 88% | 4.5 |
| November | 81% | 3.0 |
| December | 74% | 2.3 |
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 Smith (6 mi N) record?
A normal year at Smith (6 mi N) brings 5,676 heating degree days, 6% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 630 cooling degree days, 31% 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 2,698 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,012 | 0 |
| February | 791 | 0 |
| March | 670 | 0 |
| April | 497 | 0 |
| May | 267 | 14 |
| June | 78 | 94 |
| July | 4 | 263 |
| August | 10 | 208 |
| September | 110 | 50 |
| October | 433 | 2 |
| November | 770 | 0 |
| December | 1,037 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,676 | 630 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00267612. 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 Smith (6 mi N)'s climate compare?
Smith (6 mi N) is warmer than 24 of the 55 places with their own NOAA record in Nevada, and wetter than 14. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 51.1°F is warmer than 45%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Smith (6 mi N) is BWk: cold desert. 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.
Which places near Smith (6 mi N) share this climate record?
Smith Valley has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Smith Valley, NV1,618 people · 7 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Smith (6 mi N)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Smith (6 mi N)?
December, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (93°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow at Smith (6 mi N)?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is 0.7 inch a year.
What is the rainiest month at Smith (6 mi N)?
January, with 0.97 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is September with 0.13 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Smith (6 mi N) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Smith (6 mi N) in zone 6b in ZIP code 89430, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −2°F (24 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come at Smith (6 mi N)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 23; in one year in ten it comes after June 10. Waiting until June 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nevada climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Yerington, NV13 miles from this station, 53.5°F a year
- Topaz Lake, NV13 miles from this station, 51.9°F a year
- Wabuska (6 mi SE), NV18 miles from this station, 50.6°F a year
- Minden, NV24 miles from this station, 50.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made