Dinosaur, Colorado climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Dinosaur's normal year runs from 14°F January nights to 91°F July afternoons, with 11.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.3°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 33°C, 283 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDinosaur (2 mi E)
- Station IDUSW00094082
- Location40.24°N 108.97°W
- Elevation6,062 ft (1,848 m)
- Population247
On October 23, the normal high in Dinosaur is 58°F and the normal low 36°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 Dinosaur.
- Jan 31° 14°
- Feb 37° 20°
- Mar 50° 29°
- Apr 60° 35°
- May 71° 44°
- Jun 83° 54°
- Jul 91° 61°
- Aug 88° 59°
- Sep 77° 50°
- Oct 61° 39°
- Nov 45° 27°
- Dec 32° 16°
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 Dinosaur each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 91°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 14°F. The most precipitation falls in September (1.31 in), the least in July (0.68 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31°F | 14°F | 22.3°F | 0.77 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 37°F | 20°F | 28.8°F | 0.78 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 50°F | 29°F | 39.4°F | 0.88 | 9 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 35°F | 47.5°F | 1.05 | 9 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 71°F | 44°F | 57.3°F | 1.16 | 10 | <1 | 2 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 83°F | 54°F | 68.2°F | 0.79 | 5 | 10 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 91°F | 61°F | 75.9°F | 0.68 | 6 | 22 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 88°F | 59°F | 73.2°F | 0.88 | 7 | 14 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 50°F | 63.6°F | 1.31 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 39°F | 49.8°F | 1.28 | 7 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 45°F | 27°F | 35.7°F | 0.78 | 6 | <1 | 21 | 10 h |
| December | 32°F | 16°F | 23.9°F | 0.79 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 37°F | 48.8°F | 11.15 | 90 | 48 | 149 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −10°C | −5.4°C | 20 mm |
| February | 3°C | −6°C | −1.8°C | 20 mm |
| March | 10°C | −2°C | 4.1°C | 22 mm |
| April | 16°C | 2°C | 8.6°C | 27 mm |
| May | 21°C | 7°C | 14.1°C | 29 mm |
| June | 28°C | 12°C | 20.1°C | 20 mm |
| July | 33°C | 16°C | 24.4°C | 17 mm |
| August | 31°C | 15°C | 22.9°C | 22 mm |
| September | 25°C | 10°C | 17.6°C | 33 mm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 9.9°C | 33 mm |
| November | 7°C | −3°C | 2.1°C | 20 mm |
| December | 0°C | −9°C | −4.5°C | 20 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Dinosaur's own co-op station Dinosaur National Monument does: 26 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094082; 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 Dinosaur?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (5).
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 USW00094082.
When is the last frost in Dinosaur?
In Dinosaur, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 2 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 14 in half of years and before September 30 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 21 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 18
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 141 year in 10 before September 30; 9 in 10 before October 26
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 161 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 184 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 20 in half of springs and before October 24 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Dinosaur in zone 6a in ZIP code 81610, 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 USW00094082; 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 Dinosaur?
In a normal year in Dinosaur, 48 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 149 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 90 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 48a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 149a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 48high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 90a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094082.
How sunny is Dinosaur?
Over a year 81% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Dinosaur, 4.8 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (86%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 2.3 |
| February | 73% | 3.2 |
| March | 76% | 4.6 |
| April | 76% | 5.8 |
| May | 79% | 6.8 |
| June | 86% | 7.8 |
| July | 85% | 7.3 |
| August | 85% | 6.5 |
| September | 86% | 5.5 |
| October | 81% | 3.9 |
| November | 77% | 2.6 |
| December | 70% | 2.0 |
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 Dinosaur need?
A normal year in Dinosaur brings 6,729 heating degree days, 25% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 859 cooling degree days, 5% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,937 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,322 | 0 |
| February | 1,015 | 0 |
| March | 795 | 0 |
| April | 526 | 1 |
| May | 263 | 25 |
| June | 59 | 156 |
| July | 1 | 339 |
| August | 8 | 262 |
| September | 116 | 74 |
| October | 473 | 2 |
| November | 878 | 0 |
| December | 1,272 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,729 | 859 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094082. 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 Dinosaur been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 52.9°F, 4.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 48.8°F. 2 of the 4 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 48.3°F | −0.5°F | 12.29 |
| 2023 | 47.0°F | −1.8°F | 10.29 |
| 2024 | 51.5°F | +2.7°F | 11.13 |
| 2025 | 52.9°F | +4.1°F | 7.60 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094082. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Dinosaur's climate compare?
Dinosaur is warmer than 60 of the other 124 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 18. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.8°F is warmer than 35%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Dinosaur is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. 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 Dinosaur share this climate record?
Bonanza has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Bonanza, UT0 people · 19 mi SW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Dinosaur's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Dinosaur. This page uses Dinosaur (2 mi E); the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinosaur National Monument USC00052286 | in town | 5,960 ft | 47.2°F | 12°F | 89°F | 10.7 | 26 | May 12 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Dinosaur's climate
What is the coldest month in Dinosaur?
January, with a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 14°F. The warmest is July (91°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Dinosaur?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Dinosaur's NOAA station; Dinosaur's own co-op station Dinosaur National Monument records 26 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Dinosaur?
September, with 1.31 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.68 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Dinosaur in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Dinosaur in zone 6a in ZIP code 81610, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Dinosaur?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 2; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Rangely, CO15 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- Massadona (3 mi E), CO19 miles from this station, 47.1°F a year
- Jensen, UT22 miles from this station, 46.0°F a year
- Dinosaur National Monument-Quarry Area, UT22 miles from this station, 49.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made