Arapahoe (12 mi S), Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Arapahoe (12 mi S)'s normal year runs from 16°F January nights to 91°F July afternoons, with 17.5 inches of precipitation and 20 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.1°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 33°C, 445 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationArapahoe (12 mi S)
- Station IDUSC00050306
- Location38.68°N 102.16°W
- Elevation4,065 ft (1,239 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Arapahoe (12 mi S) is 65°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 11%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Arapahoe (12 mi S).
- Jan 45° 16°
- Feb 47° 19°
- Mar 57° 26°
- Apr 66° 34°
- May 75° 44°
- Jun 86° 55°
- Jul 91° 61°
- Aug 88° 59°
- Sep 81° 50°
- Oct 69° 36°
- Nov 56° 25°
- Dec 45° 18°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Arapahoe (12 mi S) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 91°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in July (3.27 in), the least in January (0.42 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 16°F | 30.4°F | 0.42 | 2.5 | 2 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 47°F | 19°F | 32.8°F | 0.56 | 4.5 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 57°F | 26°F | 41.4°F | 0.92 | 2.3 | 3 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 34°F | 49.7°F | 1.44 | 1.8 | 4 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 75°F | 44°F | 59.7°F | 1.98 | 0.1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 86°F | 55°F | 70.4°F | 2.41 | 0.0 | 6 | 13 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 91°F | 61°F | 76.0°F | 3.27 | 0.0 | 7 | 21 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 88°F | 59°F | 73.5°F | 2.91 | 0.0 | 6 | 16 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 81°F | 50°F | 65.7°F | 1.11 | 0.0 | 3 | 8 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 69°F | 36°F | 52.5°F | 1.48 | 0.9 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 56°F | 25°F | 40.4°F | 0.43 | 2.1 | 2 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 45°F | 18°F | 31.3°F | 0.59 | 6.1 | 2 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 37°F | 52.0°F | 17.52 | 20.3 | 47 | 61 | 160 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −9°C | −0.9°C | 11 mm | 6 cm |
| February | 8°C | −7°C | 0.4°C | 14 mm | 11 cm |
| March | 14°C | −4°C | 5.2°C | 23 mm | 6 cm |
| April | 19°C | 1°C | 9.8°C | 37 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 24°C | 7°C | 15.4°C | 50 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 30°C | 13°C | 21.3°C | 61 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 33°C | 16°C | 24.4°C | 83 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 15°C | 23.1°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 10°C | 18.7°C | 28 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 2°C | 11.4°C | 38 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 13°C | −4°C | 4.7°C | 11 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 7°C | −8°C | −0.4°C | 15 mm | 15 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00050306; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Arapahoe (12 mi S)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (3).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00050306.
When is the last frost at Arapahoe (12 mi S)?
In Arapahoe (12 mi S), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 5 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 9 in half of years and before September 28 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 51 year in 10 after May 19; 9 in 10 after April 22
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 91 year in 10 before September 28; 9 in 10 before October 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 156 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 174 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 25 in half of springs and before October 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Arapahoe (12 mi S) in zone 6a in ZIP code 80802, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Colorado · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00050306; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Arapahoe (12 mi S)?
In a normal year in Arapahoe (12 mi S), 61 days a year reach 90°F (8 of them 100°F or more), 160 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 47 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 61a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 8a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 160a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 22high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 47a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 9a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00050306.
How sunny is it at Arapahoe (12 mi S)?
Over a year 84% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Arapahoe (12 mi S), 5.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (90%) and February the cloudiest (76%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.7 |
| February | 76% | 3.5 |
| March | 80% | 4.9 |
| April | 80% | 6.0 |
| May | 82% | 6.9 |
| June | 88% | 7.6 |
| July | 90% | 7.5 |
| August | 89% | 6.6 |
| September | 87% | 5.5 |
| October | 83% | 4.1 |
| November | 83% | 3.0 |
| December | 78% | 2.3 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Arapahoe (12 mi S) record?
A normal year at Arapahoe (12 mi S) brings 5,676 heating degree days, 6% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 967 cooling degree days, 7% more than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,289 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,071 | 0 |
| February | 901 | 0 |
| March | 733 | 1 |
| April | 460 | 3 |
| May | 204 | 40 |
| June | 30 | 192 |
| July | 3 | 344 |
| August | 6 | 271 |
| September | 87 | 108 |
| October | 396 | 9 |
| November | 738 | 0 |
| December | 1,046 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,676 | 967 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00050306. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Arapahoe (12 mi S) been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 53.9°F, 1.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 52.0°F. 2 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.5°F | +0.5°F | 16.31 | 15.0 |
| 2022 | 51.9°F | −0.1°F | 9.67 | 22.0 |
| 2023 | 51.8°F | −0.2°F | 19.74 | 26.0 |
| 2024 | 53.9°F | +1.9°F | 14.36 | 14.0 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00050306. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Arapahoe (12 mi S)'s climate compare?
Arapahoe (12 mi S) is warmer than 104 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 88. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.0°F is warmer than 49%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Arapahoe (12 mi S) is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Arapahoe (12 mi S)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Arapahoe (12 mi S)?
January, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (91°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow at Arapahoe (12 mi S)?
Yes: 20 inches in a normal year, falling on 9 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (6.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Arapahoe (12 mi S)?
July, with 3.27 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.42 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Arapahoe (12 mi S) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Arapahoe (12 mi S) in zone 6a in ZIP code 80802, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Arapahoe (12 mi S)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 5; in one year in ten it comes after May 19. Waiting until May 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cheyenne Wells, CO15 miles from this station, 52.7°F a year
- Sheridan Lake, CO17 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Arapahoe (14 mi N), CO24 miles from this station, 50.7°F a year
- Tribune, KS26 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made