Stanley, Idaho climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Stanley's normal year runs from 6°F December nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 17.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.0°C, December lows of −14°C, July highs of 27°C, 454 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationStanley Ranger Station
- Station IDUSW00004112
- Location44.17°N 114.93°W
- Elevation6,495 ft (1,980 m)
- Population122
On October 22, the normal high in Stanley is 52°F and the normal low 23°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 32%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Stanley.
- Jan 30° 4°
- Feb 35° 7°
- Mar 43° 14°
- Apr 49° 21°
- May 60° 30°
- Jun 69° 35°
- Jul 80° 39°
- Aug 80° 37°
- Sep 70° 31°
- Oct 55° 24°
- Nov 39° 14°
- Dec 28° 6°
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 Stanley each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 6°F. The most precipitation falls in March (2.20 in), the least in August (0.48 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F | 4°F | 16.9°F | 1.74 | 12 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 35°F | 7°F | 21.0°F | 1.32 | 12 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 43°F | 14°F | 28.3°F | 2.20 | 14 | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 49°F | 21°F | 34.8°F | 1.69 | 12 | <1 | 29 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 60°F | 30°F | 45.0°F | 1.49 | 12 | <1 | 24 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 69°F | 35°F | 51.6°F | 1.60 | 10 | <1 | 14 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 80°F | 39°F | 59.3°F | 0.63 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 80°F | 37°F | 58.4°F | 0.48 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 14 h |
| September | 70°F | 31°F | 50.3°F | 1.01 | 7 | <1 | 21 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 55°F | 24°F | 39.7°F | 1.59 | 10 | <1 | 29 | 11 h |
| November | 39°F | 14°F | 26.4°F | 2.19 | 12 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 28°F | 6°F | 16.8°F | 1.92 | 14 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 22°F | 37.4°F | 17.86 | 125 | 3 | 279 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −15°C | −8.4°C | 44 mm |
| February | 2°C | −14°C | −6.1°C | 34 mm |
| March | 6°C | −10°C | −2.1°C | 56 mm |
| April | 9°C | −6°C | 1.6°C | 43 mm |
| May | 16°C | −1°C | 7.2°C | 38 mm |
| June | 20°C | 1°C | 10.9°C | 41 mm |
| July | 27°C | 4°C | 15.2°C | 16 mm |
| August | 27°C | 3°C | 14.7°C | 12 mm |
| September | 21°C | −1°C | 10.2°C | 26 mm |
| October | 13°C | −4°C | 4.3°C | 40 mm |
| November | 4°C | −10°C | −3.1°C | 56 mm |
| December | −2°C | −14°C | −8.4°C | 49 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00004112; 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 Stanley?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (5).
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 USW00004112.
How hot and how cold does it get in Stanley?
In a normal year in Stanley, 3 days a year reach 90°F, 279 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 125 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 279a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 72high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 125a normal year
The highest temperature in Stanley's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1916) is 96°F, on July 18, 1964; the lowest is −54°F, on December 23, 1983.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2025, with 24.20 in; the snowiest season is 1916–17, with 122.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00004112; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record SNTthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Stanley?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Stanley, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (65%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 1.9 |
| February | 74% | 2.9 |
| March | 73% | 4.1 |
| April | 72% | 5.3 |
| May | 72% | 6.1 |
| June | 77% | 7.0 |
| July | 85% | 7.4 |
| August | 84% | 6.3 |
| September | 82% | 4.9 |
| October | 75% | 3.2 |
| November | 68% | 1.9 |
| December | 65% | 1.5 |
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 Stanley need?
A normal year in Stanley brings 10,061 heating degree days, 87% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 13 cooling degree days, 99% fewer than the median (908). Ten months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 777 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,490 | 0 |
| February | 1,232 | 0 |
| March | 1,138 | 0 |
| April | 908 | 0 |
| May | 620 | 0 |
| June | 403 | 1 |
| July | 185 | 8 |
| August | 210 | 4 |
| September | 441 | 0 |
| October | 783 | 0 |
| November | 1,160 | 0 |
| December | 1,493 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,061 | 13 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00004112. 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 Stanley been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 39.3°F, 1.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 37.4°F. 3 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38.7°F | +1.3°F | 15.92 |
| 2022 | 36.1°F | −1.3°F | 20.51 |
| 2023 | 36.6°F | −0.8°F | 20.10 |
| 2024 | 38.6°F | +1.3°F | 16.85 |
| 2025 | 39.3°F | +1.9°F | 24.20 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00004112. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Stanley's climate compare?
Stanley is warmer than 1 of the other 84 places with their own NOAA record in Idaho, and wetter than 49. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 37.4°F is warmer than 3%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Stanley is Dsb: continental, dry-summer, 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.
What do Stanley's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Stanley. This page uses Stanley Ranger Station; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley station USC00108676 | 3 mi N | 6,249 ft | 34.4°F | −3°F | 80°F | 18.2 | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Stanley's climate
What is the coldest month in Stanley?
December, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 6°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 39°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Stanley?
March, with 2.20 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.48 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Stanley in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Stanley in zone 5b in ZIP code 83278, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Stanley's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −27°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
Nearby and next
- Idaho climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lowman, ID35 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Deadwood Lodge, ID38 miles from this station, 39.3°F a year
- Middle Fork Lodge, ID38 miles from this station, 45.1°F a year
- Challis, ID43 miles from this station, 44.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made