Grand Lake, CO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Grand Lake's primary NOAA station, GRAND LAKE 1 NW - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Grand Lake
Dryness leads the climate profile for Grand Lake, Colorado, with 18.6 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 37°F. At 35/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 4% of scores.
- 37°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 35/100
- comfort score, above 4% of station-mapped location scores
- 18.6"
- annual precipitation · 155" snow
Grand Lake: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00053496 · Grand Lake, CO 37°F mean · 18.6" precip
TEMP-COLD · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COLD 37°F
- RANK-COOL #137
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Sargents
- PRCP-DRY 18.6"
- SWING-MID 40°F
- COMF-LOW 35/100
- LOAD-HEAT 10,222 HDD
- STN-MULTI USC00053496
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Sargents, CO (+ 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.
- Grand Lake (this station) 37°F
- Hot Eklutna Wtp, AK 37°F
- Near Sargents, CO 37°F
- Near Tower Falls, WY 37°F
- Near Anderson Lake, AK 37°F
Climate Living Index · Grand Lake
Grand Lake: 8/100 · grade F
Grand Lake publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Grand Lake, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 35/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 18.6 in · 16.4 from 35 in | 42/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 36.9°F · 30.6° from 67.5°F | 0/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 264 calendar days | 0/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 154.9 inches/year | 0/100 · F |
Grand Lake · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Grand Lake is a continental Köppen climate: Dfc
Coldest-month mean 17.4°F and warmest-month mean 57.8°F place this station in continental, no dry season, cool summer climates (Dfc). Class Dfc is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, cool summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfc
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 57.8°F
- Coldest month
- 17.4°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 Grand Lake sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Grand Lake's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 98%
- Among 6,861 stations, Grand Lake sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 75%
- Grand Lake's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 37th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Grand Lake compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Grand Lake's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
35 4th percentile score exceeds 4% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 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
Grand Lake's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 67 complete annual observations from 1940 to 2024, GRAND LAKE 1 NW warmed at a fitted rate of 0.19°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Grand Lake primary station fitted change +0.19 °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 | 30°F (-1°C) | 5°F (-15°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 1.6" | 30.6" | 31.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 34°F (1°C) | 6°F (-14°C) | 20°F (-6°C) | 1.5" | 25.1" | 28.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 42°F (6°C) | 14°F (-10°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 1.2" | 17.6" | 31.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 49°F (10°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 1.6" | 17.1" | 29.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 59°F (15°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 1.6" | 5.3" | 25.6 | 0.0 |
| June | 71°F (21°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 1.4" | 0.4" | 8.8 | 0.0 |
| July | 76°F (24°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 2.0" | 0.0" | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| August | 73°F (23°C) | 38°F (4°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 2.1" | 0.0" | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| September | 68°F (20°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 1.6" | 0.4" | 15.6 | 0.0 |
| October | 55°F (13°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 1.3" | 7.4" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
| November | 40°F (5°C) | 13°F (-10°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 1.3" | 22.5" | 29.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 30°F (-1°C) | 5°F (-15°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 1.5" | 28.5" | 31.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 76°F around July 16, short of 90°F on every date, while 264 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 4°F near December 24.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into June 4, then returns to freezing around September 15, covering 264 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 August 5, when 48% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is October 15 at 31%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 149 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 26 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 37°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Grand Lake.
Where Grand Lake Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 264 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 37°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Grand Lake earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 30.6"
14.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 25.1"
13.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 17.6"
11.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 17.1"
11.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.3"
12.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
10.5 days with precipitation
13.6 days with precipitation
15.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
11.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.4"
9.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 22.5"
10.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 28.5"
13.8 days with precipitation
Grand Lake spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 29% of the annual total and December through February 25%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Grand Lake has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 40.4°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: August averages 2.1" and March 1.2". The three wettest months together take 31% 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.
Rain reaches Grand Lake in small, frequent amounts
Grand Lake records about 149 days with measurable precipitation a year and 18.6" in total, which works out to roughly 0.13 inches on an average wet day. Precipitation on 41% of all days, arriving that lightly, is the damp many-grey-days pattern rather than the storm-driven one.
Places in this band read as wetter than their annual totals suggest, because what people notice is the number of overcast days, not the depth in the gauge.
- Most wet days: August, about 15 of them.
- Fewest: October, about 10.
- Average depth per wet day: 0.13 inches.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Grand Lake
Grand Lake averages 154.9 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 71 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: 154.9 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 71 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 83% 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
N/A
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
N/A
50% probability date
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
10,222
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Grand Lake 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 (37°F here).
- Tower, MN 37°F · 0.0°F off
- Island Park, ID 37°F · 0.1°F off
- Jackson, MT 37°F · 0.1°F off
- Valdez, AK 37°F · 0.1°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (18.6" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hot Springs, SD 18.6" · 0.0" off
- Big Horn, WY 18.6" · 0.0" off
- Bridgeport, NE 18.6" · 0.0" off
- Harrold, SD 18.6" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Grand Lake
heating led · dry · mid swing
Grand Lake's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 10,222 annual heating degree days against 1 for cooling. Its 40.4°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
A frost-free growing-season length is not available for Grand Lake. That missing field is kept separate from the observed temperature and precipitation record rather than filled from a regional estimate.
-
1. Grand Lake coldest normal
January
Averaging 17°F (-8°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Grand Lake typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Grand Lake snow peak
January
Grand Lake averages 154.9 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Grand Lake's climate
How much snow does Grand Lake get? ▼
How cold does Grand Lake get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Grand Lake? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Grand Lake's primary station: GRAND LAKE 1 NW (USC00053496). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Grand Lake 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 0831715). Match rule for Grand Lake: 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 Grand Lake 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.