Craig, Colorado climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Craig's normal year runs from 3°F January nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 14.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.1°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 32°C, 358 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCraig Moffat County Airport
- Station IDUSW00024046
- Location40.50°N 107.52°W
- Elevation6,186 ft (1,886 m)
- Population8,903
On October 23, the normal high in Craig is 59°F and the normal low 24°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 28%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Craig.
- Jan 31° 3°
- Feb 36° 9°
- Mar 48° 20°
- Apr 59° 27°
- May 69° 35°
- Jun 81° 41°
- Jul 89° 47°
- Aug 87° 46°
- Sep 77° 37°
- Oct 62° 26°
- Nov 47° 17°
- Dec 32° 5°
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 Craig each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 3°F. The most precipitation falls in September (1.75 in), the least in February (0.89 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31°F | 3°F | 16.8°F | 0.91 | 10 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 36°F | 9°F | 22.2°F | 0.89 | 10 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 48°F | 20°F | 34.0°F | 0.99 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 27°F | 42.9°F | 1.67 | 11 | <1 | 24 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 69°F | 35°F | 51.8°F | 1.63 | 10 | <1 | 13 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 81°F | 41°F | 60.9°F | 0.99 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 15 h |
| July | 89°F | 47°F | 68.3°F | 0.93 | 8 | 16 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 87°F | 46°F | 66.3°F | 0.97 | 9 | 9 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 37°F | 57.1°F | 1.75 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 26°F | 44.4°F | 1.48 | 9 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 17°F | 31.8°F | 0.99 | 8 | <1 | 29 | 10 h |
| December | 32°F | 5°F | 18.7°F | 0.90 | 10 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 26°F | 42.9°F | 14.10 | 109 | 32 | 221 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −16°C | −8.4°C | 23 mm |
| February | 2°C | −13°C | −5.4°C | 23 mm |
| March | 9°C | −7°C | 1.1°C | 25 mm |
| April | 15°C | −3°C | 6.1°C | 42 mm |
| May | 21°C | 1°C | 11.0°C | 41 mm |
| June | 27°C | 5°C | 16.1°C | 25 mm |
| July | 32°C | 8°C | 20.2°C | 24 mm |
| August | 30°C | 8°C | 19.1°C | 25 mm |
| September | 25°C | 3°C | 13.9°C | 44 mm |
| October | 17°C | −3°C | 6.9°C | 38 mm |
| November | 8°C | −8°C | −0.1°C | 25 mm |
| December | 0°C | −15°C | −7.4°C | 23 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Hayden (14 miles away), gets 113 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024046; 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 Craig?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USW00024046.
When is the last frost in Craig?
In Craig, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after June 6 in half of years and after June 24 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 12 in half of years and before August 31 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
- June 61 year in 10 after June 24; 9 in 10 after May 21
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 121 year in 10 before August 31; 9 in 10 before September 25
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 96 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 125 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 20 in half of springs and before September 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Craig in zone 5b in ZIP code 81638, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Craig's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −26°F (23 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 USW00024046; 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 Craig?
In a normal year in Craig, 32 days a year reach 90°F, 221 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 109 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 32a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 221a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 53high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 109a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1996) is 101°F, on July 9, 2021; the lowest is −41°F, on January 31, 2023.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2007, with 16.77 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00024046; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00024046. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Craig, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 41°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 44°F; the driest air comes in December (8°F). March is the windiest month (7.1 mph on average).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11°F | 74% | 60% | 3.7 mph | – | – |
| February | 16°F | 68% | 51% | 5.0 mph | – | – |
| March | 23°F | 57% | 34% | 7.1 mph | – | – |
| April | 28°F | 52% | 30% | 6.9 mph | – | – |
| May | 36°F | 50% | 26% | 6.4 mph | – | – |
| June | 39°F | 43% | 18% | 6.3 mph | – | – |
| July | 44°F | 46% | 21% | 5.9 mph | – | – |
| August | 40°F | 48% | 20% | 5.1 mph | – | – |
| September | 31°F | 53% | 24% | 5.0 mph | – | – |
| October | 23°F | 62% | 36% | 4.6 mph | – | – |
| November | 14°F | 70% | 49% | 3.9 mph | – | – |
| December | 8°F | 73% | 61% | 3.6 mph | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00024046. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Craig?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Craig, 4.7 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (68%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 2.3 |
| February | 71% | 3.2 |
| March | 75% | 4.6 |
| April | 72% | 5.5 |
| May | 75% | 6.5 |
| June | 85% | 7.7 |
| July | 84% | 7.2 |
| August | 83% | 6.3 |
| September | 84% | 5.3 |
| October | 77% | 3.7 |
| November | 73% | 2.5 |
| December | 68% | 1.9 |
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 Craig need?
A normal year in Craig brings 8,234 heating degree days, 53% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 217 cooling degree days, 76% 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 1,784 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,494 | 0 |
| February | 1,200 | 0 |
| March | 961 | 0 |
| April | 663 | 0 |
| May | 410 | 1 |
| June | 143 | 20 |
| July | 15 | 116 |
| August | 36 | 74 |
| September | 245 | 6 |
| October | 640 | 0 |
| November | 995 | 0 |
| December | 1,434 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,234 | 217 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024046. 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 Craig been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 45.4°F, 2.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 42.9°F. 3 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44.5°F | +1.6°F | 10.11 |
| 2022 | 41.0°F | −1.9°F | 15.86 |
| 2023 | 41.4°F | −1.5°F | 11.08 |
| 2024 | 44.5°F | +1.6°F | 13.86 |
| 2025 | 45.4°F | +2.5°F | 9.38 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00024046. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Craig's climate compare?
Craig is warmer than 28 of the other 124 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 40. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.9°F is warmer than 12%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Craig 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.
What do Craig's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Craig. This page uses Craig Moffat County Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig (4 mi SW) USC00051932 | 5 mi SW | 6,496 ft | 42.8°F | 7°F | 85°F | 17.4 | – | May 29 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Craig's climate
What is the coldest month in Craig?
January, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 3°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 47°F at night).
Does it snow in Craig?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Craig's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Hayden (14 miles away), records 113 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Craig?
September, with 1.75 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.89 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Craig in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Craig in zone 5b in ZIP code 81638, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Craig's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −26°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in Craig?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after June 6; in one year in ten it comes after June 24. Waiting until June 24 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Craig in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Hayden, CO14 miles from this station, 43.7°F a year
- Maybell, CO30 miles from this station, 41.6°F a year
- Meeker, CO36 miles from this station, 44.8°F a year
- Steamboat Springs, CO37 miles from this station, 40.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made