Black Canyon Of The Gunnison, Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison's normal year runs from 13°F December nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 19.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.3°C, December lows of −10°C, July highs of 28°C, 507 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBlack Canyon Of The Gunnison
- Station IDUSC00050754
- Location38.55°N 107.69°W
- Elevation8,151 ft (2,484 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Black Canyon Of The Gunnison is 57°F and the normal low 31°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Black Canyon Of The Gunnison.
- Jan 37° 13°
- Feb 40° 16°
- Mar 49° 23°
- Apr 56° 29°
- May 66° 38°
- Jun 76° 46°
- Jul 82° 53°
- Aug 81° 52°
- Sep 72° 44°
- Oct 60° 33°
- Nov 47° 23°
- Dec 36° 13°
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 Black Canyon Of The Gunnison each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 13°F. The most precipitation falls in September (2.08 in), the least in June (0.73 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 13°F | 24.8°F | 1.73 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 40°F | 16°F | 27.8°F | 1.74 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 49°F | 23°F | 35.7°F | 1.99 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 29°F | 42.7°F | 1.84 | – | <1 | 22 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 66°F | 38°F | 52.3°F | 1.59 | – | <1 | 10 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 76°F | 46°F | 61.3°F | 0.73 | – | 1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 82°F | 53°F | 67.3°F | 1.65 | – | 3 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 81°F | 52°F | 66.3°F | 1.69 | – | 2 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 72°F | 44°F | 58.4°F | 2.08 | – | <1 | 3 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 60°F | 33°F | 46.3°F | 1.90 | – | <1 | 18 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 47°F | 23°F | 34.9°F | 1.49 | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 36°F | 13°F | 24.4°F | 1.52 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 32°F | 45.2°F | 19.95 | – | 6 | 199 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −11°C | −4.0°C | 44 mm |
| February | 4°C | −9°C | −2.3°C | 44 mm |
| March | 9°C | −5°C | 2.1°C | 51 mm |
| April | 13°C | −1°C | 5.9°C | 47 mm |
| May | 19°C | 3°C | 11.3°C | 40 mm |
| June | 25°C | 8°C | 16.3°C | 19 mm |
| July | 28°C | 11°C | 19.6°C | 42 mm |
| August | 27°C | 11°C | 19.1°C | 43 mm |
| September | 22°C | 7°C | 14.7°C | 53 mm |
| October | 16°C | 0°C | 7.9°C | 48 mm |
| November | 8°C | −5°C | 1.6°C | 38 mm |
| December | 2°C | −10°C | −4.2°C | 39 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Cimarron (10 miles away), gets 67 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00050754; 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 Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00050754.
When is the last frost at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
In Black Canyon Of The Gunnison, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 23 in half of years and after June 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 20 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 231 year in 10 after June 9; 9 in 10 after May 5
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 14
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 130 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 153 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 7 in half of springs and before October 9 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Black Canyon Of The Gunnison in zone 6b in ZIP code 81401, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −11°F (16 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Colorado · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00050754; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
In a normal year in Black Canyon Of The Gunnison, 6 days a year reach 90°F and 199 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 199a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 30high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00050754.
How sunny is it at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison, 5.0 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (74%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 2.7 |
| February | 74% | 3.6 |
| March | 79% | 5.1 |
| April | 76% | 6.0 |
| May | 76% | 6.8 |
| June | 85% | 7.9 |
| July | 80% | 7.0 |
| August | 79% | 6.2 |
| September | 82% | 5.4 |
| October | 81% | 4.1 |
| November | 78% | 2.9 |
| December | 74% | 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 Black Canyon Of The Gunnison record?
A normal year at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison brings 7,403 heating degree days, 38% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 212 cooling degree days, 77% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,882 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,245 | 0 |
| February | 1,042 | 0 |
| March | 908 | 0 |
| April | 669 | 0 |
| May | 394 | 2 |
| June | 135 | 24 |
| July | 23 | 95 |
| August | 38 | 79 |
| September | 211 | 12 |
| October | 578 | 0 |
| November | 902 | 0 |
| December | 1,258 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,403 | 212 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00050754. 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 Black Canyon Of The Gunnison been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 46.0°F, 0.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 45.2°F. 1 of the 2 complete years since 2023 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 44.2°F | −1.0°F | 17.92 |
| 2024 | 46.0°F | +0.8°F | 21.68 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00050754. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Black Canyon Of The Gunnison's climate compare?
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison is warmer than 43 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 108. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.2°F is warmer than 20%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. 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 Black Canyon Of The Gunnison's climate
What is the coldest month at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
December, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 13°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Cimarron (10 miles away), records 67 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
September, with 2.08 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.73 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Black Canyon Of The Gunnison in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Black Canyon Of The Gunnison in zone 6b in ZIP code 81401, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −11°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 23; in one year in ten it comes after June 9. Waiting until June 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cimarron, CO11 miles from this station, 43.0°F a year
- Montrose, CO12 miles from this station, 50.3°F a year
- Paonia, CO21 miles from this station, 50.6°F a year
- Delta, CO23 miles from this station, 51.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made