Matheson, Colorado climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Matheson's normal year runs from 15°F December nights to 86°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.1°C, December lows of −9°C, July highs of 30°C.
- NOAA stationMatheson (8 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00055427
- Location39.13°N 103.85°W
- Elevation5,830 ft (1,777 m)
- Population (census place)20
On October 24, the normal high in Matheson is 60°F and the normal low 31°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Matheson.
- Jan 43° 15°
- Feb 45° 16°
- Mar 54° 24°
- Apr 61° 30°
- May 70° 40°
- Jun 81° 50°
- Jul 86° 56°
- Aug 84° 54°
- Sep 77° 45°
- Oct 64° 34°
- Nov 50° 24°
- Dec 42° 15°
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 Matheson each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 15°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43°F | 15°F | 28.8°F | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 45°F | 16°F | 30.6°F | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 54°F | 24°F | 38.9°F | – | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 61°F | 30°F | 45.4°F | – | <1 | 18 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 70°F | 40°F | 55.0°F | – | 1 | 4 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 81°F | 50°F | 65.3°F | – | 4 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 86°F | 56°F | 71.2°F | – | 12 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 84°F | 54°F | 69.0°F | – | 4 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 77°F | 45°F | 60.9°F | – | 1 | 2 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 64°F | 34°F | 48.6°F | – | <1 | 13 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 24°F | 37.1°F | – | <1 | 25 | 10 h |
| December | 42°F | 15°F | 28.5°F | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 34°F | 48.3°F | – | 22 | 177 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −10°C | −1.8°C |
| February | 7°C | −9°C | −0.8°C |
| March | 12°C | −5°C | 3.8°C |
| April | 16°C | −1°C | 7.4°C |
| May | 21°C | 5°C | 12.8°C |
| June | 27°C | 10°C | 18.5°C |
| July | 30°C | 13°C | 21.8°C |
| August | 29°C | 12°C | 20.6°C |
| September | 25°C | 7°C | 16.1°C |
| October | 18°C | 1°C | 9.2°C |
| November | 10°C | −5°C | 2.8°C |
| December | 5°C | −9°C | −1.9°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Hugo (19 miles away), gets 24 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00055427; 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 Matheson?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August and September.
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 USC00055427.
When is the last frost in Matheson?
In Matheson, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 12 in half of years and after May 26 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 2 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 121 year in 10 after May 26; 9 in 10 after May 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 21 year in 10 before September 19; 9 in 10 before October 14
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 141 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 161 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 11 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Matheson in zone 5b in ZIP code 80835, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Colorado · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00055427; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 in Matheson?
In a normal year in Matheson, 22 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 177 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 22a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 177a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 26high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00055427.
How sunny is Matheson?
Over a year 82% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Matheson, 4.9 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (88%) and February the cloudiest (75%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.6 |
| February | 75% | 3.4 |
| March | 78% | 4.7 |
| April | 77% | 5.8 |
| May | 79% | 6.7 |
| June | 85% | 7.4 |
| July | 87% | 7.3 |
| August | 88% | 6.5 |
| September | 87% | 5.4 |
| October | 82% | 4.0 |
| November | 81% | 2.8 |
| December | 76% | 2.2 |
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 Matheson need?
A normal year in Matheson brings 6,535 heating degree days, 22% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 476 cooling degree days, 48% 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 2,436 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,121 | 0 |
| February | 963 | 0 |
| March | 811 | 0 |
| April | 587 | 0 |
| May | 318 | 8 |
| June | 76 | 86 |
| July | 6 | 198 |
| August | 18 | 144 |
| September | 162 | 39 |
| October | 508 | 1 |
| November | 837 | 0 |
| December | 1,130 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,535 | 476 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00055427. 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.
How does Matheson's climate compare?
Matheson is warmer than 57 of the other 124 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.3°F is warmer than 33%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Matheson share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Simla, CO583 people · 13 mi W
- Ramah, CO106 people · 17 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Matheson's climate
What is the coldest month in Matheson?
December, with a normal high of 42°F and a normal low of 15°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow in Matheson?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Matheson's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Hugo (19 miles away), records 24 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Matheson in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Matheson in zone 5b in ZIP code 80835, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Matheson?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 12; in one year in ten it comes after May 26. Waiting until May 26 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Limon, CO8 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- Hugo, CO19 miles from this station, 49.2°F a year
- Genoa, CO21 miles from this station, 49.9°F a year
- Rush (1 mi N), CO23 miles from this station, 48.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made