Discover the 5 Coldest Places in Wyoming

Wyoming’s rugged beauty and extraordinary geography come wrapped in a notoriously cold climate. All four seasons do run their course through the Cowboy State, one of them just stays longer than the others. Because of its high elevation, Wyoming’s annual average temperature is a chilly 42 degrees. It is the fifth-coldest state in the United States based on state-wide average temperatures.

While Wyoming ranks as the fifth-coldest state overall, it drops to 10th for coldest winter among the 50 states. Wyoming’s summer, however, is the second coldest in the country. Only Alaska has colder summers. For some areas in this Rocky Mountain state, it stays so chilly all year that there is practically zero growing season.

“Wyoming is in a region of the country where frequent variations from cold to mild periods, especially in the fall and spring occur,” reports Wyoming’s State Climate Office. “In the mountains and high valleys freezing temperatures may occur any time during the summer. For tender plants, there is practically no growing season in such areas as the upper Green River Valley, Star Valley, and Jackson Hole.”

The record for temperature variation is a span of more than 180 degrees Fahrenheit between all-time highest and lowest temperature readings in the state, according to the climate office. These temperature extremes help explain why Wyoming continues to be the country’s least populous state. With seven national parks, including America’s first, Yellowstone, the state’s challenging climate also explains why so much natural beauty has been preserved.

The Coldest Places in Wyoming

Despite its overall rank as the country’s fifth-coldest state, Wyoming’s temperatures vary considerably based on location, geography, and elevation. The warmest parts of the state are along the east border, the lower portions of the Big Horn Basin, and the lower elevations of central and northeast Wyoming. As elevation increases, temperature averages dip. Mountains and high valleys have average lows in the middle of summer in the 30s and 40s with occasional drops below freezing.

Those summer temperatures of below freezing are what seals Wyoming’s status as the second-coldest state in the summer. For cold-weather enthusiasts, the Cowboy State offers reliable snowfall from October through May. Whether you’re looking to chase down the cold or avoid it, we’ve got you covered. Read on to discover the five coldest places in Wyoming.

Ranking the Coldest Places

We’ve ranked Wyoming’s coldest places based on weather data collected from 1991 to 2020 by the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information by Current Results. These rankings determined the coldest places to be those with the lowest minimum annual temperature normals. According to the National Weather Service, temperature normals are three-decade averages for a given weather station.

#5 Burgess Junction — 23°F

Located within the borders of the Bighorn National Forest, Burgess Junction is a botanical viewing area within the park. With a maximum temperature normal of just 47 degrees Fahrenheit and a minimum temperature normal of 23 degrees Fahrenheit, Burgess Junction is Wyoming’s fifth-coldest place. On December 24, 1983, the weather station marked its record coldest temperature at -48 degrees Fahrenheit. The closest town to Burgess Junction is Dayton, Wyoming, 20 miles east on U.S. Highway 14. It has a population of 822 people.

Check out these web cameras at Burgess Junction!

#4 Kemmerer — 22°F

Kemmerer is a well-known coal mining community and the biggest city in Lincoln County located on the west side of the state. The city sits about 15 miles east of Fossil Butte National Monument. More than 2,400 people call this high-desert landscape home. It has a maximum temperature normal of 55 degrees Fahrenheit and a minimum temperature normal of 22 degrees Fahrenheit.

The coldest temperature in Kemmerer’s history is -39 °F. Kemmerer experienced this low twice, once on February 1, 1982, and, most recently, on December 22, 1990.

#3 Moran — 22°F

Moran is a small town that sits along the northeastern edge of Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming. Because of its elevation at 6,749 feet, the village has a subarctic climate and is the state’s coldest continuously inhabited place. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Moran was -63 degrees Fahrenheit in February of 1933. With a maximum normal temperature of 49 degrees and a minimum normal temperature of 22 degrees Fahrenheit, Moran comes in as the third coldest place in Wyoming. Perhaps its reputation for cold keeps the population down to 240 brave permanent residents.

#2 South Pass City — 21°F

A historic gold mining town, South Pass City in north-central Wyoming is a designated State Historic Site. This beautifully preserved boom town holds the distinction as the first place a woman held public office in the United States. At its peak, about 2,000 people lived in South Pass City, looking to make their fortune by striking gold or catering to the village’s tough residents. Today, about a dozen people live in the restored community permanently.

South Pass City endured its coldest temperature on January 19, 1922, with a record low of -45 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Western Regional Climate Center. With a maximum normal of 51 degrees Fahrenheit and minimum normal of 21 degrees Fahrenheit, South Pass City is Wyoming’s second-coldest place.

#1 Yellowstone Park, Old Faithful — 20°F

Located in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming’s most popular tourist destination, Old Faithful is one of six out of nearly 500 natural geysers that park rangers currently predict. While the water underground might be steaming hot, freezing temperatures engulf the area above ground every month and most nights.

There are typically 271 nights a year where the steam you see above ground is caused by frost rather than boiling water. While you are guaranteed freezing temperatures most of December and January, day temperatures can stay that frosty anywhere from October to May. On average, there are 84 days out of the year at Old Faithful where the thermometer never rises above freezing.

Old Faithful, located 7,500 feet above sea level, has a maximum normal temperature of 49 degrees Fahrenheit and a minimum normal temperature of 20 degrees Fahrenheit, making it our coldest place in Wyoming. On February 11, 1981, the coldest temperature in Yellowstone National Park history was -49 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Five Coldest Places in Wyoming Ranked