Geography and Climate
Laramie is located at 41°18′47″N 105°35′14″W / 41.31306°N 105.58722°W / 41.31306; -105.58722 (41.312927, -105.587251). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.8 square miles (46.0 km²), of which 17.7 square miles (45.9 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.06 km²) (0.13%) is water.
Laramie is on a high plain between two mountain ranges, the Snowy Range, about 30 miles (48 km) to the west, and the Laramie Range, 7 miles (11 km) to the east. The city's elevation above sea level is about 7,165 feet (2,184 m). The Laramie River runs through Laramie toward its confluence with the North Platte River east of the Laramie Range.
The city is about 41 miles (66 km) west of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and 113 miles (182 km) miles north of Denver, Colorado. Laramie lies along U.S. Route 30, Interstate 80, and U.S. Route 287, and it remains an important junction on the Union Pacific Railroad line.
Laramie's total precipitation averages only about 10 inches (250 mm) a year, and the average number of rainy days per year is about 26. The city experiences a day that is 90 °F (32 °C) or warmer about once a year. The average temperature in January is 21 °F (−6 °C), and in July it is 64 °F (18 °C). Annual snowfall averages 42 inches (107 cm). Because of the high elevation, winters are long, and summers are short and relatively cool.
Laramie has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk) with long, cold, dry winters and short, warm, somewhat wetter summers.
| Climate data for Laramie | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 62 (17) |
68 (20) |
72 (22) |
78 (26) |
88 (31) |
94 (34) |
97 (36) |
97 (36) |
92 (33) |
85 (29) |
72 (22) |
63 (17) |
97 (36) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 32.7 (0.4) |
36.0 (2.2) |
42.4 (5.8) |
50.2 (10.1) |
60.7 (15.9) |
72.3 (22.4) |
79.4 (26.3) |
78.1 (25.6) |
69.6 (20.9) |
57.3 (14.1) |
40.9 (4.9) |
33.3 (0.7) |
54.41 (12.45) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 20.3 (−6.5) |
22.9 (−5.1) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
36.7 (2.6) |
46.5 (8.1) |
56.7 (13.7) |
62.9 (17.2) |
60.8 (16.0) |
52.2 (11.2) |
41.2 (5.1) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
20.7 (−6.3) |
39.84 (4.36) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 7.8 (−13.4) |
9.8 (−12.3) |
16.9 (−8.4) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
32.3 (0.2) |
41.1 (5.1) |
46.3 (7.9) |
43.4 (6.3) |
34.8 (1.6) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
14.1 (−9.9) |
8.1 (−13.3) |
25.24 (−3.75) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −43 (−42) |
−40 (−40) |
−27 (−33) |
−18 (−28) |
11 (−12) |
20 (−7) |
29 (−2) |
26 (−3) |
5 (−15) |
−8 (−22) |
−28 (−33) |
−40 (−40) |
−43 (−42) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.34 (8.6) |
0.39 (9.9) |
0.69 (17.5) |
1.08 (27.4) |
1.68 (42.7) |
1.30 (33) |
1.53 (38.9) |
1.37 (34.8) |
0.96 (24.4) |
0.85 (21.6) |
0.58 (14.7) |
0.42 (10.7) |
11.19 (284.2) |
| Source #1: NOAA (normals, 1971-2000) | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: The Weather Channel (Records) | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Laramie, Wyoming
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