Fort Collins (4 mi E), Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Fort Collins (4 mi E)'s normal year runs from 16°F December nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 14.8 inches of precipitation and 48 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.6°C, December lows of −9°C, July highs of 31°C, 377 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFort Collins (4 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00053006
- Location40.58°N 105.02°W
- Elevation4,920 ft (1,500 m)
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fort Collins (4 mi E).
- Jan 43° 15°
- Feb 45° 18°
- Mar 55° 26°
- Apr 61° 34°
- May 70° 43°
- Jun 81° 52°
- Jul 88° 58°
- Aug 85° 55°
- Sep 77° 47°
- Oct 63° 34°
- Nov 51° 24°
- Dec 42° 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 at Fort Collins (4 mi E) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in May (2.54 in), the least in January (0.40 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43°F | 15°F | 29.0°F | 0.40 | 6.6 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 45°F | 18°F | 31.6°F | 0.42 | 7.0 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 55°F | 26°F | 40.7°F | 1.11 | 8.2 | 6 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 61°F | 34°F | 47.4°F | 2.02 | 5.7 | 9 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 70°F | 43°F | 56.5°F | 2.54 | 1.8 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 81°F | 52°F | 66.7°F | 1.79 | 0.0 | 8 | 6 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 88°F | 58°F | 72.6°F | 1.56 | 0.0 | 8 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 85°F | 55°F | 70.2°F | 1.34 | 0.0 | 8 | 9 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 47°F | 61.9°F | 1.36 | 0.6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 63°F | 34°F | 48.9°F | 1.16 | 4.0 | 6 | <1 | 11 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 24°F | 37.4°F | 0.70 | 7.6 | 5 | <1 | 26 | 10 h |
| December | 42°F | 16°F | 28.8°F | 0.43 | 6.9 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 35°F | 49.3°F | 14.83 | 48.4 | 82 | 32 | 166 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −9°C | −1.7°C | 10 mm | 17 cm |
| February | 7°C | −8°C | −0.2°C | 11 mm | 18 cm |
| March | 13°C | −3°C | 4.8°C | 28 mm | 21 cm |
| April | 16°C | 1°C | 8.6°C | 51 mm | 14 cm |
| May | 21°C | 6°C | 13.6°C | 65 mm | 5 cm |
| June | 27°C | 11°C | 19.3°C | 45 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 14°C | 22.6°C | 40 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 13°C | 21.2°C | 34 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 8°C | 16.6°C | 35 mm | 2 cm |
| October | 17°C | 1°C | 9.4°C | 29 mm | 10 cm |
| November | 11°C | −5°C | 3.0°C | 18 mm | 19 cm |
| December | 6°C | −9°C | −1.8°C | 11 mm | 18 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00053006; 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.
Which months are mildest at Fort Collins (4 mi E)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. Of those, September 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 USC00053006.
When is the last frost at Fort Collins (4 mi E)?
In Fort Collins (4 mi E), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 3 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 6 in half of years and before September 22 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 31 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 21
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 61 year in 10 before September 22; 9 in 10 before October 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 154 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 174 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 23 in half of springs and before October 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fort Collins (4 mi E) in zone 5b in ZIP code 80525, 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 USC00053006; 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 at Fort Collins (4 mi E)?
In a normal year in Fort Collins (4 mi E), 32 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 166 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 82 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 32a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 166a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 22high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 82a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 14a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1990) is 103°F, on June 24, 2012; the lowest is −28°F, on December 22, 1990.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2009, with 20.17 in; the snowiest season is 2009–10, with 76.7 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00053006; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00053006. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Fort Collins (4 mi E)?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Fort Collins (4 mi E), 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (80%) and May the cloudiest (69%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.5 |
| February | 79% | 3.5 |
| March | 77% | 4.7 |
| April | 71% | 5.4 |
| May | 69% | 6.0 |
| June | 78% | 7.0 |
| July | 77% | 6.6 |
| August | 76% | 5.8 |
| September | 80% | 5.0 |
| October | 77% | 3.7 |
| November | 76% | 2.6 |
| December | 76% | 2.1 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Fort Collins (4 mi E) record?
A normal year at Fort Collins (4 mi E) brings 6,270 heating degree days, 17% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 584 cooling degree days, 36% 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 2,614 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,116 | 0 |
| February | 934 | 0 |
| March | 753 | 0 |
| April | 528 | 0 |
| May | 276 | 13 |
| June | 55 | 106 |
| July | 5 | 242 |
| August | 14 | 177 |
| September | 139 | 46 |
| October | 500 | 0 |
| November | 828 | 0 |
| December | 1,122 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,270 | 584 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00053006. 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.
How does Fort Collins (4 mi E)'s climate compare?
Fort Collins (4 mi E) is warmer than 69 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 48. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.3°F is warmer than 37%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fort Collins (4 mi E) 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 Fort Collins (4 mi E) share this climate record?
4 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.
- Windsor, CO41,734 people · 9 mi SE
- Wellington, CO12,100 people · 9 mi N
- Severance, CO11,554 people · 10 mi SE
- Timnath, CO10,848 people · 4 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 Fort Collins (4 mi E)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Fort Collins (4 mi E)?
December, with a normal high of 42°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow at Fort Collins (4 mi E)?
Yes: 48 inches in a normal year, falling on 26 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in March (8.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Fort Collins (4 mi E)?
May, with 2.54 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.40 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fort Collins (4 mi E) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fort Collins (4 mi E) in zone 5b in ZIP code 80525, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Fort Collins (4 mi E)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 3; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Fort Collins, CO3 miles from this station, 50.7°F a year
- Loveland, CO10 miles from this station, 48.7°F a year
- Waterdale, CO14 miles from this station, 48.2°F a year
- Buckhorn Mountain (1 mi E), CO15 miles from this station, 46.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made