Sun Valley in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Sun Valley sees average daytime highs around 58°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 4.7 in of precipitation over about 22 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 46°F in early March to 71°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Sun Valley's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sun Valley's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
58°F
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
35°F
Precipitation
4.7 in
22 wet days
Avg wind
5 mph
Travel score
4.5
3rd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Sun Valley in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 46°F in early March to 71°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Sun Valley reaches about 58°F and drops to 35°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

20°40°60°80°MarAprMay

How spring really feels in Sun Valley

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 55 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
55
wind chill below the day's low

The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Sun Valley weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 22°2.686.89.50.0
Feb43° / 24°2.38.57.310.40.6
Mar50° / 28°2.28611.72.4
Apr57° / 34°1.36.93.6134.4
May67° / 42°1.26.81.214.16.8
Jun78° / 50°0.63.50.214.78.1
Jul87° / 56°0.42.8014.56.1
Aug85° / 56°0.32.7013.66.6
Sep77° / 50°0.42.5012.38.6
Oct64° / 40°0.93.50.810.97.0
Nov50° / 29°1.45.73.69.82.6
Dec39° / 21°2.57.66.69.30.1

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Sun Valley gets around 4.7 in of rain and snow over 22 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 5 mph across spring.

0246810MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours in early March to 14 h 36 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.5 kWh/m².

02468MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit Sun Valley?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

4.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a reasonable time to visit Sun Valley for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sun Valley in Spring

From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In spring, Sun Valley sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 22 days see rain.

a warm layersun protectionrain gear

UV index in Sun Valley in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sun Valley peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 23 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Nov 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Sun Valley in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Sun Valley is worst in July — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 8.5× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodPoorModerateGoodJul 2149 µg/m³Dec 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul51Poor
Aug42Poor
Sep45Poor
Oct15Moderate
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sun Valley?

Sun Valley sits at 39.6°N, 119.8°W, 4,724 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sparks, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Sun Valley

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Sun Valley.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sun Valley has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,112 ft around an average of 4,898 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,911 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,779 ft.

The land around Sun Valley is covered by grassland (51%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 2 miles, grassland (55%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 10 miles, and grassland (40%) and trees (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,112 ft
10 miles
3,911 ft
50 miles
7,779 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Spring weather nearby: Sparks 4.3 mi · Reno 5.0 mi · Spanish Springs 5.0 mi · Fernley 28 mi · Truckee 29 mi · Carson City 30 mi · Lake Tahoe 47 mi · Susanville 73 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Sun Valley (39.5963°, -119.776°, elevation 4,724 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.