Fort Collins, CO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Fort Collins's primary NOAA station, FT COLLINS - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Fort Collins
Dryness leads the climate profile for Fort Collins, Colorado, with 15.9 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 51°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 51°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 15.9"
- annual precipitation · 51" snow
- 158 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Fort Collins: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00053005 · Fort Collins, CO 51°F mean · 15.9" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 51°F
- RANK-MID #2,950
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Montgomery L&d
- PRCP-DRY 15.9"
- SWING-MID 42°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,797 HDD
- STN-MULTI USC00053005
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Montgomery L&d, PA (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every CO station list.
- Fort Collins (this station) 51°F
- Cold Wabuska, NV 51°F
- Hot Moses Lake Gran…, WA 51°F
- Near Montgomery L&d, PA 51°F
- Near Otis, NM 51°F
Climate Living Index · Fort Collins
Fort Collins: 37/100 · grade F
Fort Collins publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Fort Collins, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 154 calendar days | 44/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 50.7°F · 16.8° from 67.5°F | 43/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 158 days/year | 32/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 15.9 in · 19.1 from 35 in | 32/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 51.4 inches/year | 20/100 · F |
Fort Collins · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Fort Collins's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 73.1°F
- Coldest month
- 31.1°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Fort Collins sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Fort Collins's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 43rd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 80%
- Fort Collins's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 44th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Fort Collins compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Fort Collins's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Fort Collins's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 126 complete annual observations from 1887 to 2025, FT COLLINS warmed at a fitted rate of 0.18°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Fort Collins primary station fitted change +0.18 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F (7°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 0.4" | 6.7" | 29.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 47°F (8°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 0.5" | 7.6" | 25.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 56°F (14°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 1.3" | 9.4" | 21.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 63°F (17°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 2.1" | 6.2" | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| May | 71°F (22°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 2.7" | 1.6" | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| June | 82°F (28°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 1.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 5.7 |
| July | 87°F (31°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 13.0 |
| August | 85°F (29°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 1.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.3 |
| September | 77°F (25°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 1.4" | 0.7" | 0.5 | 2.0 |
| October | 64°F (18°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 1.3" | 4.1" | 8.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 53°F (11°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.7" | 7.6" | 23.9 | 0.0 |
| December | 44°F (7°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 0.5" | 7.5" | 30.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 88°F around July 16, short of 90°F on every date, while 154 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 17°F near December 24.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 29, then returns to freezing around October 28, covering 154 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 21, when 38% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 5 at 13%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 86 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 8 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 30°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Fort Collins.
Where Fort Collins Stands Nationally
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 16 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Fort Collins earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 6.7"
3.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.6"
5.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.4"
6.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.2"
9.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.6"
12.0 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
8.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
7.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.1"
6.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.6"
4.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.5"
4.1 days with precipitation
Fort Collins spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 31% of the annual total and December through February 9%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Fort Collins has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 42°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 2.7" and January 0.4". The three wettest months together take 42% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Fort Collins is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 86 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 24% of the calendar, and they carry 15.9" between them. At roughly 0.18 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is May at about 12 wet days; the driest is January at about 4.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Winter brings real snow to Fort Collins
Fort Collins averages 51.4 inches of snowfall a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 28 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 51.4 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 28 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 32% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 7
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 2
50% probability date
Growing Season
158 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,797
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
624
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Fort Collins on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (51°F here).
- Decatur, IN 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Fredonia, NY 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Fremont, OH 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Gibson City, IL 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (15.9" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Bagdad, AZ 15.9" · 0.0" off
- Casper, WY 15.9" · 0.0" off
- New England, ND 15.9" · 0.0" off
- Roosevelt, AZ 15.9" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Fort Collins
heating led · dry · mid swing
Fort Collins's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,797 annual heating degree days against 624 for cooling. Its 42.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Fort Collins's frost-free season lasts about 158 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Fort Collins coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 31°F (0°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Fort Collins typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Fort Collins snow peak
March
Fort Collins averages 51.4 inches of snow a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Fort Collins's climate
How much snow does Fort Collins get? ▼
How cold does Fort Collins get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Fort Collins? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Fort Collins's primary station: FT COLLINS (USC00053005). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Fort Collins area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0827425). Match rule for Fort Collins: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Fort Collins comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.