Cortez Montezuma County, CO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Cortez Montezuma County's primary NOAA station, CORTEZ MONTEZUMA CO AP.
The climate verdict for Cortez Montezuma County
Dryness leads the climate profile for Cortez Montezuma County, Colorado, with 11.7 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 49°F. At 52/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 24% of scores.
- 49°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 52/100
- comfort score, above 24% of station-mapped location scores
- 11.7"
- yearly precipitation total
- 124 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Cortez Montezuma County: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00093069 · Cortez Montezuma County, CO 49°F mean · 11.7" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 49°F
- RANK-COOL #2,470
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Johnstown Cambr…
- PRCP-ARID 11.7"
- SWING-MID 45°F
- COMF-LOW 52/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,304 HDD
- STN-1 USW00093069
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Johnstown Cambria County, PA ( -0.1 °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.
- Cortez Montezum… (this station) 49°F
- Cold Johnstown Cambr…, PA 49°F
- Hot N Foster, RI 49°F
- Near Colville, WA 49°F
- Near Twin Falls, ID 49°F
Climate Living Index · Cortez Montezuma County
Cortez Montezuma County: 18/100 · grade F
Cortez Montezuma County publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Cortez Montezuma County, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 52/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 49.0°F · 18.5° from 67.5°F | 36/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 11.7 in · 23.3 from 35 in | 17/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 124 days/year | 9/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 222 calendar days | 4/100 · F |
Cortez Montezuma County · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Cortez Montezuma County's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 72.2°F
- Coldest month
- 27.7°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 Cortez Montezuma County sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Cortez Montezuma County's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 36th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 91%
- Cortez Montezuma County's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 56th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Cortez Montezuma County compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Cortez Montezuma County's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
52 24th percentile score exceeds 24% 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%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42°F (5°C) | 14°F (-10°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 1.1" | 30.2 | 0.0 |
| February | 47°F (8°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 1.0" | 27.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 57°F (14°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 0.8" | 28.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 64°F (18°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 0.8" | 20.3 | 0.0 |
| May | 75°F (24°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 0.7" | 7.2 | 0.9 |
| June | 86°F (30°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.3" | 0.7 | 12.4 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 1.1" | 0.0 | 21.2 |
| August | 87°F (31°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 1.6" | 0.0 | 11.7 |
| September | 80°F (26°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 1.6" | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| October | 67°F (19°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 1.1" | 17.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 53°F (12°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.8" | 27.6 | 0.0 |
| December | 42°F (6°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.8" | 30.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Cortez Montezuma County works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 91°F by July 8 and hold at or above 90°F on 28 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 194 dates, bottoming at 13°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 29 through July 26, covering 28 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 6 to October 8.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 24, then returns to freezing around October 14, covering 194 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 July 30, when 31% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 7 at 10%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 74 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 14 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 43°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Cortez Montezuma County.
Where Cortez Montezuma County Stands Nationally
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 12 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 43°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Cortez Montezuma County earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
5.9 days with precipitation
7.1 days with precipitation
5.9 days with precipitation
5.8 days with precipitation
5.0 days with precipitation
2.6 days with precipitation
8.6 days with precipitation
8.7 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
5.8 days with precipitation
4.8 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
Cortez Montezuma County spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 26% of the annual total and December through February 25%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Cortez Montezuma County has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 44.5°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: August averages 1.6" and June 0.3". The three wettest months together take 37% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Cortez Montezuma County is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 74 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 20% of the calendar, and they carry 11.7" between them. At roughly 0.16 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is August at about 9 wet days; the driest is June at about 3.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 28
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 27
50% probability date
Growing Season
124 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,304
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
488
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Cortez Montezuma County 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 (49°F here).
- Altona, IL 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Burney, CA 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Cairo, NY 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Condon, OR 49°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (11.7" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Fairbanks, AK 11.7" · 0.0" off
- La Verkin, UT 11.6" · 0.0" off
- Ontario, CA 11.6" · 0.0" off
- El Cajon, CA 11.6" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Cortez Montezuma County's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Cortez Montezuma County's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,304 annual heating degree days against 488 for cooling. Its 44.5°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 124 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.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Cortez Montezuma County's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 44.5°F. The annual average is 49°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Cortez Montezuma County's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 11.7 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Cortez Montezuma County wettest normal
August
August concentrates the scarce annual total (11.7 inches).
Cortez Montezuma County driest normal
June
June is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Cortez Montezuma County's climate
How dry is Cortez Montezuma County? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Cortez Montezuma County get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Cortez Montezuma County? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Cortez Montezuma County's primary station: CORTEZ MONTEZUMA CO AP (USW00093069). 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 Cortez Montezuma County; 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 Cortez Montezuma County 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.