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Climate
Wyoming features a climate as unique as its locations. With a cold winter and cool
summer, snow is readily available for those late or early season commercials.
Shooting in the summer is also a pleasant experience. Click on a city on the map to read about average precipitation, temperature and sky conditions from the National Weather Service.
Sunrise/Sunset
The best, most accurate sunrise/sunset charts are kept by the U.S. Naval Observatory. Below, enter a Wyoming city in the form and then hit the Compute button to view the city's chart.
Temperature
Because of its elevation, Wyoming has a relatively cool climate. Above
6,000 feet, the temperature rarely exceeds 100 degree F. For most of the state,
mean maximum temperatures in July range between 85 and 95 degrees F. Summer nights
are almost always cool, with mean minimum temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees F.
In the wintertime, it's normal to have rapid and frequent changes between mild and
cold spells. In January, the coldest month, average minimum temperatures range between
5 and 10 degree F. But chinooks, warm down slope winds common along eastern mountain
slopes frequently boost the daytime temperatures up to 50 degrees F.
Precipitation
Like other states in the West, precipitation varies a great deal from one
location to another. It's rainiest during the spring and early summer, but annual
rainfall only averages from 5 to 18 inches dependent on location. During the summer,
showers are frequent, but brief. Snow falls frequently from November through May. At
the lower elevations in eastern and southern Wyoming, the seasonal range is from 45 to
70 inches. Wyoming's mountains receive much more, averaging well over 200 inches.
Humidity levels are always low during the summer and winter.
Sunshine
Wyoming has high sunshine levels, ranging from 60 percent of the possible
amount during the winter to about 75 percent during the summer. In summer, mornings always
start out clear, but cumulous clouds develop nearly every day and frequently blot out
the sun for a portion of the afternoon. Because the altitude provides less atmosphere
for the sun's rays to penetrate and because of the very small amount of fog, haze, and
smoke, the intensity of the sunshine is unusually high.
Topography
Wyoming's outstanding features are its majestic mountains and high plains.
Wyoming's mean elevation is about 6,700 feet. Since all of Wyoming's mountain ranges
lie in a general north-south direction, they are perpendicular to the prevailing
westerlies. Therefore, the ranges provide effective barriers for moisture-laden
Pacific storm fronts, causing the moisture to fall along the western slopes. Wyoming
is considered semiarid east of the mountains. The state's varied topography and
elevation also makes it difficult to divide Wyoming into homogenous, climate areas.
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