Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve's normal year runs from 11°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 12.2 inches of precipitation and 48 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.9°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 27°C, 310 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGreat Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
- Station IDUSC00053541
- Location37.73°N 105.51°W
- Elevation8,183 ft (2,494 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is 57°F and the normal low 30°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 17%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.
- Jan 33° 11°
- Feb 39° 16°
- Mar 49° 24°
- Apr 56° 29°
- May 66° 38°
- Jun 77° 48°
- Jul 81° 52°
- Aug 78° 50°
- Sep 72° 44°
- Oct 60° 33°
- Nov 46° 22°
- Dec 34° 12°
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 Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.10 in), the least in February (0.44 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 11°F | 22.3°F | 0.58 | 8.1 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 39°F | 16°F | 27.5°F | 0.44 | 6.2 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 49°F | 24°F | 36.1°F | 0.88 | 8.5 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 29°F | 42.5°F | 1.19 | 7.9 | 6 | <1 | 20 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 66°F | 38°F | 51.9°F | 1.19 | 1.7 | 7 | <1 | 7 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 77°F | 48°F | 62.5°F | 0.73 | 0.0 | 5 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 81°F | 52°F | 66.3°F | 2.10 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 78°F | 50°F | 64.1°F | 1.92 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 72°F | 44°F | 57.5°F | 1.31 | 0.0 | 7 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 60°F | 33°F | 46.2°F | 0.86 | 2.8 | 5 | <1 | 14 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 46°F | 22°F | 33.6°F | 0.51 | 5.6 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 34°F | 12°F | 23.1°F | 0.49 | 7.0 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 32°F | 44.5°F | 12.20 | 47.8 | 78 | 1 | 188 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −11°C | −5.4°C | 15 mm | 21 cm |
| February | 4°C | −9°C | −2.5°C | 11 mm | 16 cm |
| March | 9°C | −5°C | 2.3°C | 22 mm | 22 cm |
| April | 13°C | −2°C | 5.8°C | 30 mm | 20 cm |
| May | 19°C | 3°C | 11.1°C | 30 mm | 4 cm |
| June | 25°C | 9°C | 16.9°C | 19 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 11°C | 19.1°C | 53 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 10°C | 17.8°C | 49 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 6°C | 14.2°C | 33 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 0°C | 7.9°C | 22 mm | 7 cm |
| November | 8°C | −6°C | 0.9°C | 13 mm | 14 cm |
| December | 1°C | −11°C | −4.9°C | 12 mm | 18 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00053541; 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 Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August 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 USC00053541.
When is the last frost at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve?
In Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 21 in half of years and after June 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 19 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 211 year in 10 after June 3; 9 in 10 after May 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 19; 9 in 10 before October 14
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 131 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 153 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 10 in half of springs and before October 10 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve in zone 5a in ZIP code 81146, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −8°F (30 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Colorado · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00053541; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve?
In a normal year in Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 188 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 78 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 188a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 38high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 78a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 16a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1950) is 96°F, on June 29, 1982; the lowest is −25°F, on January 13, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2024, with 21.42 in; the snowiest season is 1991–92, with 86.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00053541; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00053541. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve?
Over a year 83% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, 5.3 kWh per square metre a day. October is the sunniest month (86%) and April the cloudiest (80%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 85% | 3.1 |
| February | 85% | 4.2 |
| March | 81% | 5.2 |
| April | 80% | 6.3 |
| May | 82% | 7.2 |
| June | 85% | 7.8 |
| July | 80% | 6.9 |
| August | 82% | 6.4 |
| September | 86% | 5.7 |
| October | 86% | 4.5 |
| November | 85% | 3.3 |
| December | 83% | 2.7 |
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 Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve record?
A normal year at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve brings 7,615 heating degree days, 42% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 148 cooling degree days, 84% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,746 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,322 | 0 |
| February | 1,050 | 0 |
| March | 896 | 0 |
| April | 675 | 0 |
| May | 409 | 2 |
| June | 108 | 33 |
| July | 33 | 72 |
| August | 66 | 37 |
| September | 228 | 4 |
| October | 583 | 0 |
| November | 944 | 0 |
| December | 1,300 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,615 | 148 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00053541. 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.
Have recent years at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 45.9°F, 1.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.5°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.0°F | +1.5°F | 9.44 | 33.3 |
| 2022 | 45.2°F | +0.7°F | 17.40 | 37.5 |
| 2023 | 45.3°F | +0.8°F | 8.62 | 28.1 |
| 2024 | 45.9°F | +1.4°F | 21.42 | 73.4 |
Over 55 complete years from 1952 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.7°F per century (+0.20°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00053541; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve's climate compare?
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is warmer than 39 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 25. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.5°F is warmer than 17%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm 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.
Questions about Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve's climate
What is the coldest month at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve?
January, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 52°F at night).
Does it snow at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve?
Yes: 48 inches in a normal year, falling on 31 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in March (8.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve?
July, with 2.10 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.44 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve in zone 5a in ZIP code 81146, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −8°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 21; in one year in ten it comes after June 3. Waiting until June 3 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Sheep Mountain, CO15 miles from this station, 45.9°F a year
- Blanca, CO18 miles from this station, 43.5°F a year
- Crestone, CO20 miles from this station, 43.6°F a year
- Westcliffe, CO27 miles from this station, 42.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made