Bailey, CO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Bailey's primary NOAA station, BAILEY.
The climate verdict for Bailey
Dryness leads the climate profile for Bailey, Colorado, with 17.2 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 41°F. At 34/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 2% of scores.
- 41°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 34/100
- comfort score, above 2% of station-mapped location scores
- 17.2"
- annual precipitation · 83" snow
- 84 days
- frost-free growing season
Bailey: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00050454 · Bailey, CO 41°F mean · 17.2" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 41°F
- RANK-COOL #480
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Odell Lake-east
- PRCP-DRY 17.2"
- SWING-MID 39°F
- COMF-LOW 34/100
- LOAD-HEAT 8,719 HDD
- STN-1 USC00050454
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Odell Lake-east, OR (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every CO station list.
- Bailey (this station) 41°F
- Cold Snettisham Pwr…, AK 41°F
- Hot Yakutat State, AK 41°F
- Near Odell Lake-east, OR 41°F
- Near Whittier, AK 41°F
Climate Living Index · Bailey
Bailey: 9/100 · grade F
Bailey publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Bailey, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 34/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 17.2 in · 17.8 from 35 in | 37/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 41.1°F · 26.4° from 67.5°F | 7/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 82.6 inches/year | 5/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 84 days/year | 0/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 239 calendar days | 0/100 · F |
Bailey · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Bailey is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 22.9°F and warmest-month mean 61.9°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 61.9°F
- Coldest month
- 22.9°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Bailey sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Bailey's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 93%
- Among 6,861 stations, Bailey sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 78%
- Bailey's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 31st percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Bailey compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Bailey's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
34 2nd percentile score exceeds 2% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). This entry sits in this band.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Bailey's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 61 complete annual observations from 1939 to 2021, BAILEY warmed at a fitted rate of 0.05°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Bailey primary station fitted change +0.05 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F (3°C) | 9°F (-13°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 0.5" | 8.0" | 30.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 40°F (4°C) | 10°F (-12°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 0.7" | 10.3" | 27.6 | 0.0 |
| March | 48°F (9°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 1.4" | 15.4" | 30.3 | 0.0 |
| April | 54°F (12°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 2.0" | 17.8" | 27.8 | 0.0 |
| May | 63°F (17°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 2.0" | 4.2" | 18.2 | 0.0 |
| June | 75°F (24°C) | 38°F (4°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 3.1 | 0.2 |
| July | 79°F (26°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 2.7" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| August | 77°F (25°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 2.5" | 0.0" | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| September | 71°F (22°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 1.4" | 1.2" | 10.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 59°F (15°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 1.1" | 6.9" | 26.8 | 0.0 |
| November | 45°F (7°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 0.7" | 9.4" | 29.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 37°F (3°C) | 9°F (-13°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 0.6" | 9.4" | 30.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 80°F around July 14, short of 90°F on every date, while 239 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 8°F near December 19.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 19, then returns to freezing around September 24, covering 239 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is August 3, when 44% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 7 at 13%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 84 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 20 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 37°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Bailey.
Where Bailey Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 239 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 37°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Bailey earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 8.0"
4.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.3"
4.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 15.4"
6.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 17.8"
7.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.2"
8.3 days with precipitation
7.3 days with precipitation
12.0 days with precipitation
13.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.2"
7.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.9"
5.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.4"
4.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.4"
4.3 days with precipitation
Bailey runs a summer-peaked wet season
40% of Bailey's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is July at 2.7", on a 39°F seasonal spread. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: July, August, May, taking 42% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.5".
- Winter share: 10% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Bailey's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 84 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 17.2" between them, or roughly 0.20 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Bailey
Bailey averages 82.6 inches of snowfall a year, with April the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 34 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 82.6 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 34 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 48% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 8
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
June 16
50% probability date
Growing Season
84 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
8,719
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
19
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Bailey on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (41°F here).
- Brainerd, MN 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Island Pond, VT 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Port Wing, WI 41°F · 0.0°F off
- Sundance, WY 41°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (17.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Seminole, TX 17.2" · 0.0" off
- Miami, AZ 17.2" · 0.0" off
- Eagle Nest, NM 17.2" · 0.0" off
- Mott, ND 17.2" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Bailey
heating led · dry · mid swing
Bailey's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 8,719 annual heating degree days against 19 for cooling. Its 39.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 84 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Bailey coldest normal
December
Averaging 23°F (-5°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Bailey typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Bailey snow peak
April
Bailey averages 82.6 inches of snow a year, with April the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Bailey's climate
How much snow does Bailey get? ▼
How cold does Bailey get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Bailey? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Bailey's primary station: BAILEY (USC00050454). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Bailey; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Bailey comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.