September brings 23°C daytime highs, 24mm of precipitation across about 5 wet days and 12.3 hours of daylight — best for hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest run of the year is July to September. January is the quietest month: cold and snow-focused, and still good for snow, skiing and cabin weekends.
Long-run climate normals for Yellowstone. Month ratings compare months within Yellowstone only — they are not a ranking of Yellowstone against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | September — Hiking, Cycling, Reliable sunshine |
| Best 3-month window | July–September |
| Quietest month | January — Cold and snow-focused |
| Driest month | February — 19mm |
| Wettest month | May — 48mm |
| Warmest / coolest | July 26°C / February -2°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 423mm over roughly 72 rain days |
Yellowstone swings 28°C between July (26°C) and February (-2°C) — the month you pick changes what you pack more than where you go.
June gives you 15.3 hours of daylight against just 8.7 in December — a 7-hour difference in how much you can actually fit into a day.
February is the driest month at 19mm across roughly 4 wet days, while May peaks at 48mm.
January–December sit at or below freezing, so the precipitation shown for those months falls mainly as snow rather than rain — the millimetre figures are water equivalent, not puddles.
August is almost as good as September, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Yellowstone changes character completely through the year — September and January are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Yellowstone, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Yellowstone beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | -2°C / -15°C | 23mm (snow) | 5 | 5h | 9h | Snow · Skiing · Cabin weekends |
| February | ★★☆☆☆ | -2°C / -15°C | 19mm (snow) | 4 | 5h | 10.2h | Snow · Cabin weekends · Low-angle light |
| March | ★★☆☆☆ | 1°C / -11°C | 26mm (snow) | 6 | 5h | 11.7h | Snow · Skiing · Cabin weekends |
| April | ★★★☆☆ | 8°C / -5°C | 30mm (rain/snow) | 6 | 6h | 13.3h | Cabin weekends |
| May | ★★★★☆ | 16°C / 1°C | 48mm | 10 | 6h | 14.7h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| June | ★★★★★ | 23°C / 7°C | 38mm | 8 | 5h | 15.3h | Hiking · Cycling |
| July | ★★★★★ | 26°C / 11°C | 30mm | 6 | 5h | 15h | Beach days · Swimming |
| August | ★★★★★ | 26°C / 11°C | 22mm | 5 | 11h | 13.8h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| September | ★★★★★ | 23°C / 7°C | 24mm | 5 | 11h | 12.3h | Hiking · Cycling · Reliable sunshine |
| October | ★★★★☆ | 16°C / 1°C | 22mm | 5 | 10h | 10.7h | Hiking · Cycling · Reliable sunshine |
| November | ★★★☆☆ | 8°C / -5°C | 30mm (rain/snow) | 6 | 6h | 9.3h | Cabin weekends · Low-angle light · Quiet and local |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | 1°C / -11°C | 28mm (snow) | 6 | 5h | 8.7h | Snow · Skiing · Cabin weekends |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | September | 11h daily sunshine, 23°C highs and only 5 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | September | 23°C highs with 12.3h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | August | 11h of sun and 13.8h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | July | Scores 76/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | October | 16°C highs and 1°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Yellowstone is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
September is the best all-round month in Yellowstone: 23°C highs, 24mm of precipitation and 12.3 hours of daylight, which suits hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine. The strongest three-month window is July to September.
January — -2°C highs, 23mm of precipitation over roughly 5 days and 9 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for snow, skiing and cabin weekends.
February is the driest month at 19mm over about 4 rain days, against 48mm in May. Across the year Yellowstone records around 423mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. September suits hiking, cycling and reliable sunshine, while January suits snow, skiing and cabin weekends. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 8.7 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.