Black Forest, Colorado climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Black Forest's normal year runs from 19°F January nights to 85°F July afternoons, with 19.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.6°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 29°C, 498 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBlack Forest (6 mi WNW)
- Station IDUSC00050756
- Location39.03°N 104.80°W
- Elevation6,957 ft (2,121 m)
- From the center7 miles
- Population (census place)14,658
On October 23, the normal high in Black Forest is 62°F and the normal low 32°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Black Forest.
- Jan 45° 19°
- Feb 45° 19°
- Mar 54° 26°
- Apr 60° 31°
- May 69° 40°
- Jun 80° 50°
- Jul 85° 55°
- Aug 83° 54°
- Sep 76° 47°
- Oct 65° 35°
- Nov 53° 26°
- Dec 45° 19°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Black Forest each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 85°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in July (3.06 in), the least in January (0.60 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 19°F | 32.0°F | 0.60 | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 45°F | 19°F | 32.4°F | 0.76 | – | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 54°F | 26°F | 39.7°F | 1.44 | – | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 31°F | 45.3°F | 2.14 | – | <1 | 17 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 69°F | 40°F | 54.3°F | 2.44 | – | <1 | 7 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 80°F | 50°F | 64.9°F | 1.99 | – | 6 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 85°F | 55°F | 70.2°F | 3.06 | – | 10 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 83°F | 54°F | 68.1°F | 3.06 | – | 6 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 76°F | 47°F | 61.7°F | 1.67 | – | 2 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 35°F | 49.9°F | 0.99 | – | <1 | 11 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 53°F | 26°F | 39.5°F | 0.81 | – | <1 | 22 | 10 h |
| December | 45°F | 19°F | 32.1°F | 0.64 | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 35°F | 49.2°F | 19.60 | – | 24 | 162 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −7°C | 0.0°C | 15 mm |
| February | 7°C | −7°C | 0.2°C | 19 mm |
| March | 12°C | −4°C | 4.3°C | 37 mm |
| April | 15°C | −1°C | 7.4°C | 54 mm |
| May | 20°C | 4°C | 12.4°C | 62 mm |
| June | 27°C | 10°C | 18.3°C | 51 mm |
| July | 29°C | 13°C | 21.2°C | 78 mm |
| August | 28°C | 12°C | 20.1°C | 78 mm |
| September | 24°C | 9°C | 16.5°C | 42 mm |
| October | 18°C | 2°C | 9.9°C | 25 mm |
| November | 12°C | −3°C | 4.2°C | 21 mm |
| December | 7°C | −7°C | 0.1°C | 16 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Monument station (6 miles away), gets 121 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00050756; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Black Forest?
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 USC00050756.
When is the last frost in Black Forest?
In Black Forest, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 11 in half of years and after May 25 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 6 in half of years and before September 25 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 111 year in 10 after May 25; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 61 year in 10 before September 25; 9 in 10 before October 19
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 147 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 164 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Black Forest in zone 5b in ZIP code 80908. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Black Forest's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (17 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 USC00050756; 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 in Black Forest?
In a normal year in Black Forest, 24 days a year reach 90°F and 162 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 24a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 162a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 21high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00050756.
How sunny is Black Forest?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Black Forest, 4.8 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (85%) and May the cloudiest (76%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.6 |
| February | 78% | 3.5 |
| March | 78% | 4.7 |
| April | 76% | 5.8 |
| May | 76% | 6.5 |
| June | 82% | 7.2 |
| July | 83% | 7.0 |
| August | 84% | 6.3 |
| September | 85% | 5.4 |
| October | 82% | 4.0 |
| November | 81% | 2.9 |
| December | 79% | 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 much heating and cooling does Black Forest need?
A normal year in Black Forest brings 6,183 heating degree days, 15% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 440 cooling degree days, 52% 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 2,427 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,023 | 0 |
| February | 914 | 0 |
| March | 785 | 1 |
| April | 593 | 1 |
| May | 344 | 12 |
| June | 80 | 77 |
| July | 11 | 172 |
| August | 29 | 125 |
| September | 148 | 47 |
| October | 473 | 5 |
| November | 765 | 0 |
| December | 1,018 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,183 | 440 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00050756. 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.
Has Black Forest been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 50.3°F, 1.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.2°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.3°F | +1.1°F | 19.60 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00050756. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Black Forest's climate compare?
Black Forest is warmer than 67 of the other 124 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 107. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.2°F is warmer than 37%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Black Forest is Cfb: temperate, 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.
Which places near Black Forest share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Air Force Academy, CO6,701 people · 4 mi SW
- Gleneagle, CO6,207 people · 1 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Black Forest's climate
What is the coldest month in Black Forest?
January, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (85°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow in Black Forest?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Black Forest's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Monument station (6 miles away), records 121 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Black Forest?
July, with 3.06 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.60 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Black Forest in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Black Forest in zone 5b in ZIP code 80908. By the same method at Black Forest's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (17 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Black Forest?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 11; in one year in ten it comes after May 25. Waiting until May 25 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Monument, CO4 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- Cumbre Vista - Colorado Springs 1, CO7 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Eastonville (2 mi NNW), CO12 miles from this station, 43.9°F a year
- Ruxton Park, CO16 miles from this station, 41.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made