Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E), Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)'s normal year runs from 20°F February nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 21.2 inches of precipitation and 166 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.8°C, February lows of −7°C, July highs of 26°C, 538 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBuckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00051060
- Location40.62°N 105.30°W
- Elevation7,400 ft (2,256 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E) is 54°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 20%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E).
- Jan 40° 21°
- Feb 40° 20°
- Mar 47° 26°
- Apr 51° 30°
- May 60° 39°
- Jun 72° 49°
- Jul 79° 56°
- Aug 78° 55°
- Sep 70° 47°
- Oct 57° 36°
- Nov 47° 28°
- Dec 40° 20°
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 Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; February the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F. The most precipitation falls in May (3.42 in), the least in January (0.65 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 21°F | 30.5°F | 0.65 | 15.1 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 40°F | 20°F | 29.9°F | 0.74 | 18.5 | 7 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 47°F | 26°F | 36.3°F | 1.68 | 28.7 | 7 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 30°F | 40.5°F | 2.85 | 35.2 | 10 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 60°F | 39°F | 49.4°F | 3.42 | 14.0 | 12 | <1 | 7 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 72°F | 49°F | 60.6°F | 2.20 | 0.6 | 11 | <1 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 79°F | 56°F | 67.8°F | 2.58 | 0.0 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 78°F | 55°F | 66.1°F | 2.09 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 70°F | 47°F | 58.6°F | 1.88 | 3.3 | 8 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 57°F | 36°F | 46.4°F | 1.50 | 14.1 | 7 | <1 | 13 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 28°F | 37.4°F | 0.95 | 19.3 | 6 | <1 | 21 | 10 h |
| December | 40°F | 20°F | 30.2°F | 0.65 | 16.9 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 35°F | 46.1°F | 21.19 | 165.7 | 101 | 4 | 164 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −6°C | −0.8°C | 17 mm | 38 cm |
| February | 5°C | −7°C | −1.2°C | 19 mm | 47 cm |
| March | 8°C | −3°C | 2.4°C | 43 mm | 73 cm |
| April | 11°C | −1°C | 4.7°C | 72 mm | 89 cm |
| May | 16°C | 4°C | 9.7°C | 87 mm | 36 cm |
| June | 22°C | 10°C | 15.9°C | 56 mm | 2 cm |
| July | 26°C | 13°C | 19.9°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 25°C | 13°C | 18.9°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 8°C | 14.8°C | 48 mm | 8 cm |
| October | 14°C | 2°C | 8.0°C | 38 mm | 36 cm |
| November | 8°C | −2°C | 3.0°C | 24 mm | 49 cm |
| December | 5°C | −7°C | −1.0°C | 17 mm | 43 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00051060; 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 Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USC00051060.
When is the last frost at Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)?
In Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 21 in half of years and after June 4 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 29 in half of years and before September 12 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 211 year in 10 after June 4; 9 in 10 after May 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 291 year in 10 before September 12; 9 in 10 before October 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 128 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 146 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 11 in half of springs and before October 6 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E) in zone 5b in ZIP code 80538, 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 (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Colorado · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00051060; 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 Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)?
In a normal year in Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E), 4 days a year reach 90°F, 164 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 101 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 164a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 28high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 101a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 32a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1988) is 97°F, on July 21, 1998; the lowest is −30°F, on February 5, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1995, with 31.05 in; the snowiest season is 2009–10, with 248.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00051060; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00051060. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E), 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (80%) and May the cloudiest (69%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.5 |
| February | 79% | 3.5 |
| March | 77% | 4.7 |
| April | 71% | 5.4 |
| May | 69% | 6.0 |
| June | 78% | 7.0 |
| July | 77% | 6.6 |
| August | 76% | 5.8 |
| September | 80% | 5.0 |
| October | 77% | 3.7 |
| November | 76% | 2.6 |
| December | 76% | 2.1 |
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 Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E) record?
A normal year at Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E) brings 7,154 heating degree days, 33% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 300 cooling degree days, 67% 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 1,910 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,070 | 0 |
| February | 981 | 0 |
| March | 891 | 0 |
| April | 736 | 0 |
| May | 486 | 2 |
| June | 173 | 41 |
| July | 43 | 128 |
| August | 63 | 96 |
| September | 225 | 33 |
| October | 578 | 1 |
| November | 830 | 0 |
| December | 1,079 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,154 | 300 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00051060. 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.
How does Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)'s climate compare?
Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E) is warmer than 44 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 110. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.1°F is warmer than 24%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E) 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 Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)?
February, with a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow at Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)?
Yes: 166 inches in a normal year, falling on 48 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in April (35.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)?
May, with 3.42 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.65 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E) in zone 5b in ZIP code 80538, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −11°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come at Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 21; in one year in ten it comes after June 4. Waiting until June 4 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Fort Collins, CO11 miles from this station, 50.7°F a year
- Waterdale, CO14 miles from this station, 48.2°F a year
- Fort Collins (4 mi E), CO15 miles from this station, 49.3°F a year
- Loveland, CO17 miles from this station, 48.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made