Cripple Creek, Colorado climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Cripple Creek's normal year runs from 14°F January nights to 76°F July afternoons, with 18.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.3°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 24°C, 457 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCripple Creek (3 mi NNW)
- Station IDUSC00051977
- Location38.80°N 105.20°W
- Elevation9,235 ft (2,815 m)
- Population1,122
On October 23, the normal high in Cripple Creek is 52°F and the normal low 29°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Cripple Creek.
- Jan 34° 14°
- Feb 36° 15°
- Mar 43° 21°
- Apr 49° 26°
- May 59° 34°
- Jun 71° 44°
- Jul 76° 49°
- Aug 72° 47°
- Sep 67° 41°
- Oct 55° 30°
- Nov 43° 23°
- Dec 34° 14°
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 Cripple Creek each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 76°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 14°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.43 in), the least in January (0.51 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 14°F | 24.3°F | 0.51 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 36°F | 15°F | 25.3°F | 0.55 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 43°F | 21°F | 32.1°F | 1.31 | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 49°F | 26°F | 37.4°F | 1.67 | – | <1 | 23 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 59°F | 34°F | 46.7°F | 1.81 | – | <1 | 14 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 71°F | 44°F | 57.8°F | 1.77 | – | <1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 76°F | 49°F | 62.3°F | 3.20 | – | <1 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 72°F | 47°F | 59.7°F | 3.43 | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 67°F | 41°F | 54.0°F | 1.71 | – | <1 | 3 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 55°F | 30°F | 42.7°F | 0.89 | – | <1 | 16 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 43°F | 23°F | 32.7°F | 0.57 | – | <1 | 25 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 34°F | 14°F | 24.4°F | 0.56 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 30°F | 41.6°F | 17.98 | – | <1 | 198 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −10°C | −4.3°C | 13 mm |
| February | 2°C | −10°C | −3.7°C | 14 mm |
| March | 6°C | −6°C | 0.1°C | 33 mm |
| April | 9°C | −3°C | 3.0°C | 42 mm |
| May | 15°C | 1°C | 8.2°C | 46 mm |
| June | 22°C | 7°C | 14.3°C | 45 mm |
| July | 24°C | 9°C | 16.8°C | 81 mm |
| August | 22°C | 8°C | 15.4°C | 87 mm |
| September | 19°C | 5°C | 12.2°C | 43 mm |
| October | 13°C | −1°C | 5.9°C | 23 mm |
| November | 6°C | −5°C | 0.4°C | 14 mm |
| December | 1°C | −10°C | −4.2°C | 14 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Florissant (9 miles away), gets 59 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00051977; 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 Cripple Creek?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in 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 USC00051977.
When is the last frost in Cripple Creek?
In Cripple Creek, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 26 in half of years and after June 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 26 in half of years and before September 13 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 261 year in 10 after June 9; 9 in 10 after May 15
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 261 year in 10 before September 13; 9 in 10 before October 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 121 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 141 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 14 in half of springs and before October 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cripple Creek in zone 5b in ZIP code 80813, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Colorado · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00051977; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Cripple Creek?
In a normal year in Cripple Creek, a 90°F day is rare and 198 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- 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
- 198a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 48high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00051977.
How sunny is Cripple Creek?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Cripple Creek, 5.0 kWh per square metre a day. January is the sunniest month (84%) and May the cloudiest (76%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 84% | 3.0 |
| February | 84% | 4.0 |
| March | 81% | 5.1 |
| April | 77% | 6.0 |
| May | 76% | 6.7 |
| June | 81% | 7.3 |
| July | 77% | 6.5 |
| August | 78% | 6.0 |
| September | 83% | 5.4 |
| October | 84% | 4.2 |
| November | 83% | 3.1 |
| December | 82% | 2.6 |
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 Cripple Creek need?
A normal year in Cripple Creek brings 8,533 heating degree days, 59% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 28 cooling degree days, 97% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,176 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,260 | 0 |
| February | 1,110 | 0 |
| March | 1,020 | 0 |
| April | 828 | 0 |
| May | 567 | 0 |
| June | 224 | 8 |
| July | 99 | 16 |
| August | 168 | 4 |
| September | 332 | 1 |
| October | 693 | 0 |
| November | 971 | 0 |
| December | 1,260 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,533 | 28 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00051977. 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 Cripple Creek been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 42.9°F, 1.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 41.6°F. 2 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42.0°F | +0.4°F | 20.25 |
| 2022 | 40.5°F | −1.1°F | 20.28 |
| 2023 | 40.8°F | −0.8°F | – |
| 2025 | 42.9°F | +1.3°F | 18.63 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00051977. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Cripple Creek's climate compare?
Cripple Creek is warmer than 21 of the other 124 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 93. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 41.6°F is warmer than 9%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Cripple Creek 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.
Which places near Cripple Creek share this climate record?
3 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.
- Victor, CO363 people · 7 mi SE
- Midland, CO178 people · 4 mi NE
- Goldfield, CO160 people · 7 mi SE
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 Cripple Creek's climate
What is the coldest month in Cripple Creek?
January, with a normal high of 34°F and a normal low of 14°F. The warmest is July (76°F by day, 49°F at night).
Does it snow in Cripple Creek?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Cripple Creek's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Florissant (9 miles away), records 59 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Cripple Creek?
August, with 3.43 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.51 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Cripple Creek in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Cripple Creek in zone 5b in ZIP code 80813, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Cripple Creek?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 26; in one year in ten it comes after June 9. Waiting until June 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Florissant, CO9 miles from this station, 40.3°F a year
- Divide, CO11 miles from this station, 39.1°F a year
- Ruxton Park, CO12 miles from this station, 41.5°F a year
- Guffey, CO13 miles from this station, 43.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made