What is the average climate in wyoming

Thus caution should always be used when reviewing trends since the start and end points can cause exaggerated and skewed results. The maximum number of days of extreme temperatures during the 55 winter seasons is listed by season if two or fewer seasons had the same maximum number of days. Table 3. During warm spells in the winter, nighttime temperatures frequently remain above freezing.

Chinooks, warm downslope winds, are common along the eastern slopes. Numerous valleys provide ideal pockets for the collection of cold air drainage at night. It is common to have temperatures in the valleys considerably lower than on the nearby mountainside. Big Piney, in the Green River Valley, is such a location. Mean January temperatures in the Bighorn Basin show the variation between the lower and upper parts of the valley. Discussion about temperature records is always of interest to the general public or special interest groups.

Many a bet has been waged during coffee breaks and many are surprised by the answers. Figure 3. In Figure 3. Days with freezing temperatures or colder exceed days in the mountains but only about half that amount over portions of the eastern plains and central river basins.

Heat Stress Index is defined as the combination of high temperature and humidity that humans can physically tolerate. In the US, extreme heat may have a greater impact on human health Kalkstein and Davis, , especially among the elderly Changnon et al. The combined effects of temperature and humidity cannot be directly measured but can be assessed by a calculation of an "apparent temperature" A. The apparent temperature of "how hot it feels" should not be confused with the Heat Index 17 Figure 3.

To include values below these limits would be a misuse of the Heat Index, but rejecting those conditions would introduce bias. Therefore employment of the Steadman apparent temperature is used. The 85th percentile values have been shown to be closely correlated with weather-related mortality statistics Kalkstein and Davis, These conditions are exceeded on average about a dozen days during July and August. In several instances, the apparent temperature is lower than the actual temperature because of very low relative humidity.

Early freezes in the fall and late freezes in the spring are typical in Wyoming. This results in long winters and short growing seasons. Wyoming is in a region of the Country where frequent variations from cold to mild periods, especially in the fall and spring occur. The average growing season freeze-free period for the principle agricultural areas is approximately days Figure 3. In the mountains and high valleys freezing temperatures may occur any time during the summer.

For the places like Star Valley and Jackson Hole, the growing season is even shorter. The earliest and latest expected freezing dates across Wyoming are shown in Figure 3. AgriMet uses an agronomically accepted algorithm for computing growing degree days that provides a means of evaluating the progress of the growing season.

More stations are available in the accompanying CD. Probabilities for critical late spring temperature thresholds that have a negative impact on agriculture Jackson, WY. Probabilities for critical early fall temperature thresholds that have a negative impact on agriculture Jackson, WY. Probabilities of how long the growing season is based on critical temperature thresholds Jackson, WY.

While this hardiness map is based on expected minimum winter temperatures, consideration should also be given to annual and seasonal precipitation totals. It should be noted that an updated version of this map 22 reflecting recent warming during the past two decades is currently under review by the US Department of Agriculture. More stations are available in the companion CD. During the period from , the maximum expected HDD is shown in Figure 3.

Although these values represent the expected coldest annual average temperature, it should not be inferred that all locations across Wyoming experience the coldest year during the same year. Clearly, the state is divided by a line roughly from the northwest to the southeast.

Higher terrain results in fewer days that require air conditioning. As with Figure 3. Log In Sign Up. Climate in Wyoming. Snowfall Precipitation July High Low 9. Annual Rainfall US Avg: Annual Snowfall US Avg: 25". Precipitation Days US Avg: Sunny Days US Avg: Select Map Options. Reviews for Wyoming 11 Reviews. Nice place. But this in not the place to live if you have children that need any pediatric specialists. Read More. The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon.

The vertical gray bars new Moons and blue bars full Moons indicate key Moon phases. We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3. The month with the most muggy days in Wyoming is July , with The least muggy day of the year is February 24 , when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of. This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector speed and direction at 10 meters above the ground.

The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed in Wyoming experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7. The windiest month of the year in Wyoming is January , with an average hourly wind speed of The calmer time of year lasts for 4. The calmest month of the year in Wyoming is August , with an average hourly wind speed of 8. The wind is most often from the south for 1. Wyoming is located near a large body of water e. This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 5. To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Wyoming throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Wyoming for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to early September , with a peak score in the second week of August.

Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Wyoming for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid August , with a peak score in the third week of July. For each hour between AM and PM of each day in the analysis period to , independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation.

Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score , which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.

The growing season in Wyoming typically lasts for 5. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Wyoming should appear around April 17 , only rarely appearing before April 5 or after May 1.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3. The brightest month of the year in Wyoming is June , with an average of 6. The darker period of the year lasts for 3. The darkest month of the year in Wyoming is December , with an average of 1. For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Wyoming are The topography within 2 miles of Wyoming contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of feet and an average elevation above sea level of feet.

Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation feet. Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation feet. This report illustrates the typical weather in Wyoming, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, to December 31, There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Wyoming. For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Wyoming according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Wyoming is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Wyoming and a given station. The stations contributing to this reconstruction are: Gerald R. To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Wyoming and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate.

Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.