One of the biggest hesitations for visitors or new people coming to our area, is just how cold it is, and when they might want to visit to make sure they don’t come at the coldest time of the year! This also might be important for farmers, outdoor enthusiasts, and even businesses and homeowners that want to take special precautions to make sure pipes don’t break during that time.

So what is the coldest month in Sandpoint, Idaho? December on average is the coldest month of the year, with the average high temperature of 34 degrees, and low of 22 degrees. However January is not far behind with a high of 35 degrees and low of 22 degrees.

Why does knowing the coldest months in Sandpoint matter?

Sandpoint deals with much colder temperatures than towns even in our own state, and especially other towns in the USA lower down in the country. Knowing when to expect these cold temperatures matters a ton for us.

It matters for ranchers that need to keep an eye on their cattle, it matters to outdoor enthusiasts that need to make sure to bundle up more during these months to stay safe, and it matters to places like Schweitzer (which is home to a new awesome hotel) that relies on snow flying to keep their guests happy.

While many people think that this cold weather would shut a town down, it actually does the opposite. We have so many cool activities that you can do in the snow and the cold here, that you don’t have to worry. A great example would be sleigh rides at Western Please Ranch.

What should you do in the coldest months?

Make sure in the coldest months of the year (January and December) that you take extra precautions to keep pipes from breaking in your home. In the cold, water can freeze solid, and frozen water expands, breaking pipes. Because of this, you should always keep a small amount of water moving, so that it doesn’t have a chance to break.

You should also be keeping a food supply on hand, just in case you get snowed in, or you can’t get to the store.

As for driving, always keep a warm blanket and some form of heat source in your car, that way if you break down in the cold you can stay warm until someone can find you. This can save your life.

You should also always let someone know where you are going, and when, just in case you get stuck.

Why is Sandpoint so cold during January and December?

This simply comes down to how far away from the equator we are, as well as how high above sea level we are. Considering we are only about 60 miles away from Canada, there aren’t many other towns in the USA that can say they are higher up than we are.

Thankfully though, we do have the mountains in our area, which helps keep winds down and the wind chill at bay.

Conclusion

The data we talked about earlier in this article was gathered from this site right here! It is always great to understand what weather is like in our area, so that you can plan ahead and make sure you are thinking about the things you need to think about in any specific time of the year.

Sandpoint and many other towns this high up in the USA have to think about plenty of things that you just don’t have to lower down in the USA. However it is also what makes us special.