Monte Vista, CO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Monte Vista's primary NOAA station, MONTE VISTA 2W.
The climate verdict for Monte Vista
Dryness leads the climate profile for Monte Vista, Colorado, with 9.2 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 40°F. At 29/100 (below average) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 1% of scores.
- 40°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 29/100
- comfort score, above 1% of station-mapped location scores
- 9.2"
- annual precipitation · 35" snow
- 94 days
- frost-free growing season
Monte Vista: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00055706 · Monte Vista, CO 40°F mean · 9.2" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 40°F
- RANK-COOL #412
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Waverly
- PRCP-ARID 9.2"
- SWING-WIDE 47°F
- COMF-LOW 29/100
- LOAD-HEAT 8,950 HDD
- STN-1 USC00055706
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Waverly, CO (+ 0 °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.
- Hot Seneca, OR 41°F
- Monte Vista (this station) 40°F
- Cold Florissant Foss…, CO 40°F
- Near Waverly, CO 40°F
- Near Seward, AK 40°F
Climate Living Index · Monte Vista
Monte Vista: 7/100 · grade F
Monte Vista publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Monte Vista, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 29/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 35.4 inches/year | 33/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 9.2 in · 25.8 from 35 in | 10/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 40.4°F · 27.1° from 67.5°F | 5/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 94 days/year | 0/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 238 calendar days | 0/100 · F |
Monte Vista · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Monte Vista is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 15.4°F and warmest-month mean 62.5°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 62.5°F
- Coldest month
- 15.4°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 Monte Vista sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Monte Vista's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 94%
- Among 6,861 stations, Monte Vista sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 95%
- Monte Vista'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 Monte Vista compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Monte Vista's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
29 1st percentile score exceeds 1% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Above this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Above this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 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
Monte Vista's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 51 complete annual observations from 1946 to 2025, MONTE VISTA 2W warmed at a fitted rate of 0.17°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Monte Vista primary station fitted change +0.17 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F (1°C) | -2°F (-19°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 0.4" | 6.0" | 31.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 40°F (4°C) | 5°F (-15°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 0.3" | 4.5" | 27.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 52°F (11°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 0.7" | 6.5" | 30.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 59°F (15°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 0.7" | 4.8" | 27.7 | 0.0 |
| May | 67°F (19°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 0.8" | 1.2" | 14.4 | 0.0 |
| June | 77°F (25°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 2.0 | 0.2 |
| July | 80°F (27°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| August | 78°F (25°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| September | 73°F (23°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7.3 | 0.0 |
| October | 62°F (16°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 0.8" | 2.8" | 27.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 48°F (9°C) | 12°F (-11°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 0.4" | 3.9" | 29.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 35°F (1°C) | 0°F (-18°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 0.4" | 5.7" | 31.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 81°F around July 7, short of 90°F on every date, while 238 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest -3°F near January 2.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 17, then returns to freezing around September 23, covering 238 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 August 3, when 38% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 1 at 11%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 65 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 16 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 40°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Monte Vista.
Where Monte Vista Stands Nationally
Winters bite deep and often: the normal nightly low dips to freezing or below on around 238 nights a year, placing this among the most frost-prone tenth of ranked stations.
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 9 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Monte Vista 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
Snow: 6.0"
3.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.5"
3.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.5"
3.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.8"
4.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.2"
5.2 days with precipitation
4.2 days with precipitation
10.1 days with precipitation
11.1 days with precipitation
7.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.8"
5.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.9"
3.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.7"
3.5 days with precipitation
Monte Vista runs a summer-peaked wet season
39% of Monte Vista'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 August at 1.6", on a wide 47.1°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: August, July, September, taking 46% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: February at 0.3".
- Winter share: 12% 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.
Monte Vista is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 65 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 18% of the calendar, and they carry 9.2" between them. At roughly 0.14 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 August at about 11 wet days; the driest is November at about 3.
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.
Winter brings real snow to Monte Vista
Monte Vista averages 35.4 inches of snowfall a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 19 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 35.4 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 19 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 38% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 13
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
June 11
50% probability date
Growing Season
94 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
8,950
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
15
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Monte Vista 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 (40°F here).
- Bruno, MN 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Covington, MI 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Florence, WI 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Hinckley, MN 40°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (9.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Los Lunas, NM 9.2" · 0.0" off
- Circleville, UT 9.2" · 0.0" off
- Chula Vista, CA 9.2" · 0.0" off
- Battle Mountain, NV 9.2" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Monte Vista
heating led · dry · mid swing
Monte Vista's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 8,950 annual heating degree days against 15 for cooling. Its 47.1°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 94 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.
-
1. Monte Vista coldest normal
January
Averaging 15°F (-9°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Monte Vista typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Monte Vista snow peak
March
Monte Vista averages 35.4 inches of snow a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Monte Vista's climate
How much snow does Monte Vista get? ▼
How cold does Monte Vista get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Monte Vista? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Monte Vista's primary station: MONTE VISTA 2W (USC00055706). 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 0851635). Match rule for Monte Vista: 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 Monte Vista 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.