Grand Lake, Colorado climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Grand Lake's normal year runs from 5°F January nights to 76°F July afternoons, with 18.6 inches of precipitation and 155 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 2.7°C, January lows of −15°C, July highs of 24°C, 472 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGrand Lake (1 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00053496
- Location40.27°N 105.83°W
- Elevation8,720 ft (2,658 m)
- Population400
On October 23, the normal high in Grand Lake is 51°F and the normal low 21°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Grand Lake.
- Jan 30° 5°
- Feb 34° 6°
- Mar 42° 14°
- Apr 49° 21°
- May 59° 28°
- Jun 71° 34°
- Jul 76° 40°
- Aug 73° 38°
- Sep 68° 32°
- Oct 55° 23°
- Nov 40° 13°
- Dec 30° 5°
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 Grand Lake each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 76°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 5°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.09 in), the least in March (1.23 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F | 5°F | 17.4°F | 1.65 | 30.6 | 15 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 34°F | 6°F | 20.3°F | 1.50 | 25.1 | 13 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 42°F | 14°F | 28.0°F | 1.23 | 17.6 | 12 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 49°F | 21°F | 34.8°F | 1.55 | 17.1 | 11 | <1 | 30 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 59°F | 28°F | 43.4°F | 1.59 | 5.3 | 12 | <1 | 26 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 71°F | 34°F | 52.3°F | 1.36 | 0.4 | 11 | <1 | 9 | 15 h |
| July | 76°F | 40°F | 57.8°F | 1.98 | 0.0 | 14 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 73°F | 38°F | 55.8°F | 2.09 | 0.0 | 15 | <1 | 2 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 68°F | 32°F | 49.7°F | 1.59 | 0.4 | 12 | <1 | 16 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 55°F | 23°F | 39.0°F | 1.27 | 7.4 | 10 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 40°F | 13°F | 26.7°F | 1.29 | 22.5 | 11 | <1 | 30 | 10 h |
| December | 30°F | 5°F | 17.5°F | 1.50 | 28.5 | 14 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 52°F | 22°F | 36.9°F | 18.60 | 154.9 | 149 | <1 | 262 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −15°C | −8.1°C | 42 mm | 78 cm |
| February | 1°C | −14°C | −6.5°C | 38 mm | 64 cm |
| March | 6°C | −10°C | −2.2°C | 31 mm | 45 cm |
| April | 10°C | −6°C | 1.6°C | 39 mm | 43 cm |
| May | 15°C | −2°C | 6.3°C | 40 mm | 13 cm |
| June | 21°C | 1°C | 11.3°C | 35 mm | 1 cm |
| July | 24°C | 4°C | 14.3°C | 50 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 23°C | 4°C | 13.2°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 20°C | 0°C | 9.8°C | 40 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 13°C | −5°C | 3.9°C | 32 mm | 19 cm |
| November | 5°C | −10°C | −2.9°C | 33 mm | 57 cm |
| December | −1°C | −15°C | −8.1°C | 38 mm | 72 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00053496; 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 Grand Lake?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USC00053496.
How hot and how cold does it get in Grand Lake?
In a normal year in Grand Lake, a 90°F day is rare, 262 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 149 days bring measurable precipitation.
- 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
- 262a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 52high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 149a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 48a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1939) is 92°F, on July 15, 1978; the lowest is −43°F, on January 13, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1957, with 28.36 in; the snowiest season is 1961–62, with 228.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00053496; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00053496. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Grand Lake?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Grand Lake, 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 much heating and cooling does Grand Lake need?
A normal year in Grand Lake brings 10,222 heating degree days, 90% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1 cooling degree days, 100% fewer than the median (908). Ten months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 604 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,477 | 0 |
| February | 1,250 | 0 |
| March | 1,149 | 0 |
| April | 906 | 0 |
| May | 668 | 0 |
| June | 380 | 0 |
| July | 223 | 1 |
| August | 284 | 0 |
| September | 459 | 0 |
| October | 806 | 0 |
| November | 1,151 | 0 |
| December | 1,471 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,222 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00053496. 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 Grand Lake been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 40.3°F, 3.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 36.9°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39.5°F | +2.6°F | 12.80 | 138.2 |
| 2022 | 37.1°F | +0.2°F | 13.45 | 170.6 |
| 2023 | 37.7°F | +0.8°F | 13.62 | – |
| 2024 | 40.3°F | +3.4°F | 13.87 | 130.5 |
Over 67 complete years from 1940 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.4°F per century (+0.19°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00053496; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Grand Lake's climate compare?
Grand Lake is warmer than 7 of the other 124 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 99. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 36.9°F is warmer than 2%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Grand Lake is Dfc: continental, no dry season, cool 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.
What do Grand Lake's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Grand Lake. This page uses Grand Lake (1 mi NW); the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Lake (6 mi SSW) USC00053500 | 6 mi S | 8,288 ft | 37.4°F | 3°F | 75°F | 13.8 | – | June 13 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Grand Lake's climate
What is the coldest month in Grand Lake?
January, with a normal high of 30°F and a normal low of 5°F. The warmest is July (76°F by day, 40°F at night).
Does it snow in Grand Lake?
Yes: 155 inches in a normal year, falling on 71 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (30.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Grand Lake?
August, with 2.09 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is March with 1.23 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Grand Lake in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Grand Lake in zone 5a in ZIP code 80447, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Grand Lake's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −21°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Allenspark, CO17 miles from this station, 39.5°F a year
- Estes Park, CO17 miles from this station, 43.0°F a year
- Gould 4 mi SE State Forest State Park, CO19 miles from this station, 34.9°F a year
- Fraser, CO22 miles from this station, 36.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made