About Yellowstone Weather
Yellowstone National Park has a very northern climate, with short, warm summers, and long, very cold winters. The park is covered with heavy snows from about November through April. Thunderstorms are common in the afternoon during the summer. Although the park is huge, with somewhat varying elevations, the conditions are reasonably consistent throughout the park. The statistics below were taken from the western part of the park, where temperatures are slightly cooler than the average.
Visitation Seasons
The spring remains a cold and quiet time until late in the season. Snow can fall into the month of June. Some road sections do not open until May, and facilities are intermittent until June.
The summer is the time when virtually all of the park's visitation takes place. Although nights can still be cold, days are normally warm and sunny. Thunderstorms are common in the afternoon, especially in the lake area. Roads and parking areas can be very crowded, and lodges and campgrounds are at capacity. Reservations, far in advance, are highly recommended.
The fall sees the closing of most facilities by the end of September, and most of the roads are closed in October. Until things reopen for the winter season, the park is very uncrowded.
The winter season is very cold and snowy. Despite this, there is a winter visitation season, focused on the Old Faithful area and made possible by snowcoaches and snowmobiles. The thermal features can be spectacular during this time.
