Sparks, NV climate
Sparks has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Sparks feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Sparks weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 25° | 1.3" | 2.2" | 6 | 3 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 50° | 28° | 1.0" | 1.0" | 6 | 2 | 33° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 32° | 0.9" | 1.0" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 51° |
| April | 63° | 36° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| May | 73° | 44° | 0.7" | 0 | 4 | 0 | 50° – 66° |
| June | 83° | 50° | 0.4" | 0 | 3 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 92° | 57° | 0.3" | 0 | 2 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| August | 90° | 55° | 0.2" | 0 | 2 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 82° | 48° | 0.2" | 0 | 2 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| October | 69° | 38° | 0.6" | 0 | 3 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 55° | 29° | 0.8" | 0.8" | 4 | 0 | 33° – 49° |
| December | 45° | 24° | 1.2" | 1.7" | 5 | 1 | 27° – 39° |
| Year | 67° | 39° | 8.2" | 6.8" | 45 | 6 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Sparks
Sparks gets 8 inches of rain and melted snow a year. January is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 45 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 6 days of the year.
About 160 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first one by October 10. That leaves about 160 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 71% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Sparks
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Sparks, 87% of that work is heating and 13% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Sparks and its neighbors
Sparks borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.6°. Reno has the coldest January nights (25°) and Spanish Springs the hottest July afternoons (91°). Sparks’s January low is 25° and its July high 92°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Sparks compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Sparks averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in September (+2.6°). The shift is larger than in 76% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Sparks’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 27° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Common questions about Sparks’s climate
What is the coldest month in Sparks?
December, with a typical high of 45° and a low of 24°.
What is the hottest month in Sparks?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 57°. About 59 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Sparks get?
About 7 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Sparks?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 10, and the last spring frost by May 1.
What is the rainiest month in Sparks?
January, with 1.3 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 8 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Sparks itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Sparks, NV (2 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.