Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Yellowstone Lake's normal year runs from 1°F January nights to 72°F July afternoons, with 23.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 0.0°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 22°C, 586 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationYellowstone Lake
- Station IDUSW00094173
- Location44.54°N 110.42°W
- Elevation7,835 ft (2,388 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Yellowstone Lake is 42°F and the normal low 20°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 42%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Yellowstone Lake.
- Jan 23° 1°
- Feb 26° 1°
- Mar 35° 8°
- Apr 41° 17°
- May 51° 26°
- Jun 61° 33°
- Jul 72° 39°
- Aug 71° 37°
- Sep 61° 30°
- Oct 46° 22°
- Nov 32° 11°
- Dec 23° 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 Yellowstone Lake each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 72°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 1°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.38 in), the least in August (1.34 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 1°F | 12.0°F | 1.80 | 16 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 26°F | 1°F | 13.5°F | 1.70 | 14 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 35°F | 8°F | 21.2°F | 1.90 | 16 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 41°F | 17°F | 28.7°F | 2.28 | 16 | <1 | 30 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 51°F | 26°F | 38.4°F | 2.35 | 15 | <1 | 28 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 61°F | 33°F | 47.0°F | 2.38 | 12 | <1 | 14 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 72°F | 39°F | 55.5°F | 1.51 | 10 | <1 | 1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 71°F | 37°F | 53.9°F | 1.34 | 9 | <1 | 4 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 61°F | 30°F | 45.4°F | 1.57 | 9 | <1 | 20 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 46°F | 22°F | 33.6°F | 1.85 | 13 | <1 | 30 | 11 h |
| November | 32°F | 11°F | 21.5°F | 2.06 | 13 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 23°F | 3°F | 13.0°F | 2.35 | 16 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 45°F | 19°F | 32.0°F | 23.09 | 160 | <1 | 278 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −17°C | −11.1°C | 46 mm |
| February | −3°C | −17°C | −10.3°C | 43 mm |
| March | 2°C | −13°C | −6.0°C | 48 mm |
| April | 5°C | −9°C | −1.8°C | 58 mm |
| May | 10°C | −3°C | 3.6°C | 60 mm |
| June | 16°C | 1°C | 8.3°C | 60 mm |
| July | 22°C | 4°C | 13.1°C | 38 mm |
| August | 22°C | 3°C | 12.2°C | 34 mm |
| September | 16°C | −1°C | 7.4°C | 40 mm |
| October | 8°C | −6°C | 0.9°C | 47 mm |
| November | 0°C | −12°C | −5.8°C | 52 mm |
| December | −5°C | −16°C | −10.6°C | 60 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Lake Yellowstone (2 miles away), gets 199 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094173; 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 Yellowstone Lake?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in July and August. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USW00094173.
How hot and how cold does it get at Yellowstone Lake?
In a normal year in Yellowstone Lake, a 90°F day is rare, 278 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 160 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 278a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 116high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 160a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094173.
How sunny is it at Yellowstone Lake?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Yellowstone Lake, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (58%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63% | 1.7 |
| February | 67% | 2.6 |
| March | 67% | 3.8 |
| April | 69% | 5.2 |
| May | 67% | 5.8 |
| June | 74% | 6.7 |
| July | 85% | 7.3 |
| August | 82% | 6.1 |
| September | 78% | 4.7 |
| October | 66% | 2.9 |
| November | 61% | 1.8 |
| December | 58% | 1.3 |
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 Yellowstone Lake record?
A normal year at Yellowstone Lake brings 12,011 heating degree days, 2.2 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 0 cooling degree days, 100% fewer than the median (908). Eleven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 386 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,643 | 0 |
| February | 1,442 | 0 |
| March | 1,358 | 0 |
| April | 1,088 | 0 |
| May | 823 | 0 |
| June | 539 | 0 |
| July | 296 | 0 |
| August | 346 | 0 |
| September | 588 | 0 |
| October | 972 | 0 |
| November | 1,305 | 0 |
| December | 1,612 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 12,011 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094173. 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 Yellowstone Lake been warmer than normal?
Over 66 complete years from 1909 to 2020, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 0.6°F per century (+0.03°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Yellowstone Lake's climate compare?
Yellowstone Lake is warmer than 0 of the 71 places with their own NOAA record in Wyoming, and wetter than 60. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 32.0°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Yellowstone Lake is Dfc: continental, no dry season, cool 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 Yellowstone Lake's climate
What is the coldest month at Yellowstone Lake?
January, with a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 1°F. The warmest is July (72°F by day, 39°F at night).
Does it snow at Yellowstone Lake?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Lake Yellowstone (2 miles away), records 199 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Yellowstone Lake?
June, with 2.38 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 1.34 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Yellowstone Lake in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Yellowstone Lake in zone 4b in ZIP code 82190, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −32°F (18 years, 1991-2020): zone 3b.
Nearby and next
- Wyoming climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lake Yellowstone, WY2 miles from this station, 33.8°F a year
- Yellowstone National Park E Ent, WY21 miles from this station, 36.1°F a year
- Old Faithful, WY21 miles from this station, 34.4°F a year
- Pahaska, WY23 miles from this station, 38.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made