Crested Butte, Colorado climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Crested Butte's normal year runs from −6°F January nights to 76°F July afternoons, with 23.8 inches of precipitation and 203 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 1.2°C, January lows of −21°C, July highs of 24°C, 604 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCrested Butte
- Station IDUSC00051959
- Location38.87°N 106.98°W
- Elevation8,867 ft (2,703 m)
- Population1,643
On October 23, the normal high in Crested Butte is 51°F and the normal low 20°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Crested Butte.
- Jan 26° -6°
- Feb 29° -2°
- Mar 38° 7°
- Apr 47° 19°
- May 58° 29°
- Jun 70° 34°
- Jul 76° 40°
- Aug 74° 38°
- Sep 66° 31°
- Oct 54° 22°
- Nov 39° 9°
- Dec 27° -4°
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 Crested Butte each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 76°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −6°F. The most precipitation falls in January (2.72 in), the least in June (0.93 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F | −6°F | 9.6°F | 2.72 | 42.2 | 12 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 29°F | −2°F | 13.7°F | 2.54 | 35.2 | 12 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 38°F | 7°F | 22.4°F | 2.09 | 29.1 | 10 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 47°F | 19°F | 33.0°F | 2.01 | 19.4 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 58°F | 29°F | 43.4°F | 1.52 | 6.7 | 8 | <1 | 25 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 70°F | 34°F | 51.9°F | 0.93 | 0.3 | 6 | <1 | 13 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 76°F | 40°F | 57.8°F | 1.96 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 74°F | 38°F | 55.9°F | 1.98 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 3 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 66°F | 31°F | 48.6°F | 1.95 | 1.2 | 10 | <1 | 18 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 54°F | 22°F | 38.2°F | 1.71 | 8.5 | 8 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 39°F | 9°F | 24.3°F | 2.04 | 25.3 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 27°F | −4°F | 11.3°F | 2.31 | 35.1 | 11 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 50°F | 18°F | 34.2°F | 23.76 | 203.0 | 117 | <1 | 269 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −21°C | −12.4°C | 69 mm | 107 cm |
| February | −1°C | −19°C | −10.2°C | 65 mm | 89 cm |
| March | 3°C | −14°C | −5.3°C | 53 mm | 74 cm |
| April | 8°C | −7°C | 0.6°C | 51 mm | 49 cm |
| May | 15°C | −2°C | 6.3°C | 39 mm | 17 cm |
| June | 21°C | 1°C | 11.1°C | 24 mm | 1 cm |
| July | 24°C | 4°C | 14.3°C | 50 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23°C | 4°C | 13.3°C | 50 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19°C | 0°C | 9.2°C | 50 mm | 3 cm |
| October | 12°C | −6°C | 3.4°C | 43 mm | 22 cm |
| November | 4°C | −13°C | −4.3°C | 52 mm | 64 cm |
| December | −3°C | −20°C | −11.5°C | 59 mm | 89 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00051959; 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 Crested Butte?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00051959.
How hot and how cold does it get in Crested Butte?
In a normal year in Crested Butte, a 90°F day is rare, 269 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 117 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 269a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 83high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 117a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 57a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1910) is 91°F, on August 25, 1936; the lowest is −47°F, on February 6, 1982.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1957, with 42.22 in; the snowiest season is 1964–65, with 354.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00051959; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00051959. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Crested Butte?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Crested Butte, 5.0 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (82%) and May the cloudiest (74%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 2.9 |
| February | 78% | 3.8 |
| March | 82% | 5.3 |
| April | 76% | 6.1 |
| May | 74% | 6.6 |
| June | 82% | 7.5 |
| July | 75% | 6.6 |
| August | 76% | 6.0 |
| September | 81% | 5.4 |
| October | 82% | 4.2 |
| November | 80% | 3.0 |
| December | 79% | 2.5 |
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 Crested Butte need?
A normal year in Crested Butte brings 11,209 heating degree days, 2.1 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1 cooling degree days, 100% fewer than the median (908). Ten months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 589 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,716 | 0 |
| February | 1,438 | 0 |
| March | 1,319 | 0 |
| April | 960 | 0 |
| May | 670 | 0 |
| June | 392 | 0 |
| July | 224 | 1 |
| August | 281 | 0 |
| September | 494 | 0 |
| October | 832 | 0 |
| November | 1,220 | 0 |
| December | 1,665 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 11,209 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00051959. 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 Crested Butte been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 36.2°F, 2.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 34.2°F. 3 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36.2°F | +2.0°F | 28.03 | 177.0 |
| 2022 | 33.7°F | −0.5°F | 20.91 | 125.5 |
| 2023 | 33.0°F | −1.2°F | 25.83 | 228.8 |
| 2024 | 35.0°F | +0.8°F | 29.62 | 215.7 |
| 2025 | 36.2°F | +2.0°F | 17.83 | 110.1 |
Over 79 complete years from 1911 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.0°F per century (+0.17°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00051959; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Crested Butte's climate compare?
Crested Butte is warmer than 0 of the other 124 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 113. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 34.2°F is warmer than 1%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Crested Butte is Dfc: continental, no dry season, cool 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 Crested Butte 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.
- Mount Crested Butte, CO953 people · 3 mi N
- Marble, CO135 people · 18 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 Crested Butte's climate
What is the coldest month in Crested Butte?
January, with a normal high of 26°F and a normal low of −6°F. The warmest is July (76°F by day, 40°F at night).
Does it snow in Crested Butte?
Yes: 203 inches in a normal year, falling on 69 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (42.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Crested Butte?
January, with 2.72 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.93 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Crested Butte in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Crested Butte in zone 5a in ZIP code 81224, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Crested Butte's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −31°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 3b.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Taylor Park, CO21 miles from this station, 34.5°F a year
- Gunnison, CO24 miles from this station, 37.7°F a year
- Aspen, CO25 miles from this station, 42.8°F a year
- Blue Mesa Lake, CO30 miles from this station, 39.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made