Lemon Dam, Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Lemon Dam's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 28.3 inches of precipitation and 131 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.1°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 26°C, 719 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLemon Dam
- Station IDUSC00054934
- Location37.38°N 107.66°W
- Elevation8,110 ft (2,472 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Lemon Dam is 55°F and the normal low 29°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Lemon Dam.
- Jan 37° 9°
- Feb 40° 11°
- Mar 47° 19°
- Apr 54° 26°
- May 63° 35°
- Jun 75° 43°
- Jul 79° 49°
- Aug 76° 48°
- Sep 70° 41°
- Oct 59° 32°
- Nov 46° 22°
- Dec 37° 13°
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 Lemon Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.48 in), the least in June (0.95 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 9°F | 23.2°F | 2.70 | 29.1 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 40°F | 11°F | 25.5°F | 2.48 | 28.5 | 9 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 47°F | 19°F | 33.2°F | 1.97 | 18.9 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 26°F | 40.2°F | 1.63 | 9.8 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 63°F | 35°F | 49.0°F | 1.63 | 1.7 | 8 | <1 | 12 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 75°F | 43°F | 58.6°F | 0.95 | 0.0 | 6 | <1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 79°F | 49°F | 63.9°F | 3.04 | 0.0 | 14 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 76°F | 48°F | 61.9°F | 3.48 | 0.0 | 16 | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 70°F | 41°F | 55.6°F | 3.43 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 3 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 59°F | 32°F | 45.1°F | 2.50 | 3.0 | 9 | <1 | 19 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 46°F | 22°F | 34.1°F | 2.07 | 14.1 | 7 | <1 | 29 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 37°F | 13°F | 25.2°F | 2.41 | 25.9 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 29°F | 42.9°F | 28.29 | 131.0 | 112 | 1 | 213 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −13°C | −4.9°C | 69 mm | 74 cm |
| February | 4°C | −11°C | −3.6°C | 63 mm | 72 cm |
| March | 8°C | −7°C | 0.7°C | 50 mm | 48 cm |
| April | 12°C | −3°C | 4.6°C | 41 mm | 25 cm |
| May | 17°C | 2°C | 9.4°C | 41 mm | 4 cm |
| June | 24°C | 6°C | 14.8°C | 24 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 26°C | 9°C | 17.7°C | 77 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 25°C | 9°C | 16.6°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 5°C | 13.1°C | 87 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 0°C | 7.3°C | 64 mm | 8 cm |
| November | 8°C | −6°C | 1.2°C | 53 mm | 36 cm |
| December | 3°C | −10°C | −3.8°C | 61 mm | 66 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00054934; 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 Lemon Dam?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00054934.
When is the last frost at Lemon Dam?
In Lemon Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 28 in half of years and after June 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 30 in half of years and before September 15 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 281 year in 10 after June 10; 9 in 10 after May 13
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 301 year in 10 before September 15; 9 in 10 before October 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 122 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 150 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 12 in half of springs and before October 10 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lemon Dam in zone 6a in ZIP code 81122, 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 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −10°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 USC00054934; 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 Lemon Dam?
In a normal year in Lemon Dam, 1 day a year reaches 90°F, 213 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 112 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
- 213a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 23high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 112a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 33a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1982) is 95°F, on July 13, 2003; the lowest is −26°F, on February 1, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1997, with 37.30 in; the snowiest season is 2018–19, with 243.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00054934; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00054934. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Lemon Dam?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Lemon Dam, 5.0 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (75%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.9 |
| February | 76% | 3.8 |
| March | 78% | 5.1 |
| April | 75% | 6.1 |
| May | 76% | 6.8 |
| June | 85% | 7.8 |
| July | 76% | 6.7 |
| August | 77% | 6.0 |
| September | 80% | 5.4 |
| October | 81% | 4.2 |
| November | 79% | 3.1 |
| December | 75% | 2.5 |
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 Lemon Dam record?
A normal year at Lemon Dam brings 8,064 heating degree days, 50% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 48 cooling degree days, 95% 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 1,346 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,297 | 0 |
| February | 1,106 | 0 |
| March | 986 | 0 |
| April | 744 | 0 |
| May | 498 | 0 |
| June | 199 | 7 |
| July | 65 | 29 |
| August | 108 | 12 |
| September | 283 | 1 |
| October | 617 | 0 |
| November | 929 | 0 |
| December | 1,234 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,064 | 48 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00054934. 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 Lemon Dam been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 45.7°F, 2.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 42.9°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44.1°F | +1.2°F | 24.62 | 147.6 |
| 2022 | 43.1°F | +0.2°F | 23.91 | 89.9 |
| 2023 | 42.4°F | −0.5°F | 25.68 | 189.2 |
| 2024 | 44.7°F | +1.8°F | 26.50 | 134.9 |
| 2025 | 45.7°F | +2.8°F | 22.59 | 60.8 |
Over 35 complete years from 1988 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 6.6°F per century (+0.37°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00054934; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Lemon Dam's climate compare?
Lemon Dam is warmer than 28 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 119. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.9°F is warmer than 12%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lemon Dam 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 Lemon Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at Lemon Dam?
January, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 49°F at night).
Does it snow at Lemon Dam?
Yes: 131 inches in a normal year, falling on 43 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (29.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Lemon Dam?
August, with 3.48 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.95 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Lemon Dam in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Lemon Dam in zone 6a in ZIP code 81122, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −10°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come at Lemon Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 28; in one year in ten it comes after June 10. Waiting until June 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Vallecito Reservoir, CO4 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Durango, CO17 miles from this station, 46.4°F a year
- Ignacio, CO21 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- Fort Lewis, CO24 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made