La Junta, 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 La Junta's primary NOAA station, LA JUNTA 17 WSW - 3 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for La Junta
Dryness leads the climate profile for La Junta, Colorado, with 13.4 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 52°F. At 52/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 24% of scores.
- 52°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 52/100
- comfort score, above 24% of station-mapped location scores
- 13.4"
- precipitation, annual total
- 149 days
- frost-free days per growing season
La Junta: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00003063 · La Junta, CO 52°F mean · 13.4" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 52°F
- RANK-MID #3,431
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Tribune
- PRCP-DRY 13.4"
- SWING-WIDE 47°F
- COMF-LOW 52/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,698 HDD
- STN-MULTI USW00003063
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Tribune, KS (+ 0.1 °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.
- La Junta (this station) 52°F
- Cold Canton L&d, MO 52°F
- Hot Hoopeston, IL 52°F
- Near Tribune, KS 52°F
- Near Farmington, UT 52°F
Climate Living Index · La Junta
La Junta: 24/100 · grade F
La Junta publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for La Junta, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 52/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 52.1°F · 15.4° from 67.5°F | 50/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 149 days/year | 24/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 13.4 in · 21.6 from 35 in | 23/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 250 calendar days | 0/100 · F |
La Junta · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
La Junta'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
- 77.0°F
- Coldest month
- 29.8°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 La Junta sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for La Junta's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 50th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 87%
- La Junta's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 69th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How La Junta compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
La Junta's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
52 24th percentile score exceeds 24% 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%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F (8°C) | 13°F (-11°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 0.5" | N/A | 30.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 51°F (11°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 0.4" | N/A | 27.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 61°F (16°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 1.1" | N/A | 25.8 | 0.0 |
| April | 68°F (20°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 1.4" | N/A | 14.8 | 0.5 |
| May | 78°F (25°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 1.9" | N/A | 3.3 | 4.8 |
| June | 89°F (32°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 1.4" | N/A | 0.1 | 18.9 |
| July | 94°F (35°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 2.2" | N/A | 0.0 | 24.5 |
| August | 91°F (33°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 74°F (24°C) | 1.5" | N/A | 0.0 | 20.1 |
| September | 84°F (29°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.0" | N/A | 0.6 | 12.3 |
| October | 71°F (22°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 0.9" | N/A | 15.0 | 1.1 |
| November | 57°F (14°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.5" | N/A | 27.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 47°F (8°C) | 13°F (-11°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 0.5" | N/A | 30.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
La Junta works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 95°F by July 13 and hold at or above 90°F on 69 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 181 dates, bottoming at 11°F around December 25.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 17 through August 24, covering 69 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs April 28 to October 17.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 14, then returns to freezing around October 17, covering 181 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 July 27, when 34% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is November 4 at 15%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 80 wet dates a year.
The widest day
October 13 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 39°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for La Junta.
Where La Junta Stands Nationally
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 39°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Heat is a defining feature of the normals calendar — the normal daily high reaches 90°F on roughly 69 days a year, more than four out of five ranked stations record.
La Junta 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
5.0 days with precipitation
5.9 days with precipitation
5.6 days with precipitation
7.2 days with precipitation
8.2 days with precipitation
7.1 days with precipitation
10.8 days with precipitation
9.6 days with precipitation
6.1 days with precipitation
5.0 days with precipitation
4.3 days with precipitation
5.7 days with precipitation
La Junta runs a summer-peaked wet season
38% of La Junta's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is July at 2.2", on a wide 47.2°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: July, May, August, taking 41% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: February at 0.4".
- Winter share: 11% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
La Junta is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 81 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 22% of the calendar, and they carry 13.4" between them. At roughly 0.17 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 July at about 11 wet days; the driest is November 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.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 4
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 8
50% probability date
Growing Season
149 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,698
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,042
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to La Junta 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 (52°F here).
- Donora, PA 52°F · 0.0°F off
- Dyer, NV 52°F · 0.0°F off
- Everett, WA 52°F · 0.0°F off
- Flemington, NJ 52°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (13.4" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Saco, MT 13.4" · 0.0" off
- Terry, MT 13.4" · 0.0" off
- Monahans, TX 13.4" · 0.0" off
- Carrizozo, NM 13.3" · 0.0" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where La Junta's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
La Junta's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,698 annual heating degree days against 1,042 for cooling. Its 47.2°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 149 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in La Junta's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 47.2°F. The annual average is 52°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
La Junta's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 13.4 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
La Junta wettest normal
July
July concentrates the scarce annual total (13.4 inches).
La Junta driest normal
February
February is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about La Junta's climate
How dry is La Junta? ▼
How many days above 90°F does La Junta get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in La Junta? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from La Junta's primary station: LA JUNTA 17 WSW (USW00003063). 3 NOAA stations are mapped to the La Junta 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 0842110). Match rule for La Junta: 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 La Junta 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.