Ordway, Colorado climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Ordway's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 94°F July afternoons, with 11.2 inches of precipitation and 14 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.2°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 35°C, 285 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOrdway (1 mi ENE)
- Station IDUSC00056131
- Location38.22°N 103.73°W
- Elevation4,312 ft (1,314 m)
- Population1,067
On October 23, the normal high in Ordway is 67°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 7%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Ordway.
- Jan 45° 12°
- Feb 48° 17°
- Mar 60° 25°
- Apr 67° 34°
- May 77° 45°
- Jun 89° 55°
- Jul 94° 61°
- Aug 91° 59°
- Sep 83° 49°
- Oct 70° 34°
- Nov 56° 22°
- Dec 45° 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 in Ordway each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 94°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in July (2.18 in), the least in February (0.21 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 12°F | 28.6°F | 0.24 | 2.4 | 1 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 48°F | 17°F | 32.4°F | 0.21 | 3.0 | 2 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 60°F | 25°F | 42.4°F | 0.50 | 2.7 | 3 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 67°F | 34°F | 50.3°F | 1.12 | 0.8 | 4 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 77°F | 45°F | 61.0°F | 1.51 | 0.0 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 89°F | 55°F | 72.0°F | 1.52 | 0.0 | 5 | 18 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 94°F | 61°F | 77.5°F | 2.18 | 0.0 | 5 | 26 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 91°F | 59°F | 75.1°F | 1.92 | 0.0 | 5 | 23 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 83°F | 49°F | 66.0°F | 0.70 | 0.1 | 3 | 12 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 70°F | 34°F | 52.0°F | 0.78 | 0.7 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 56°F | 22°F | 38.8°F | 0.31 | 1.1 | 2 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 45°F | 13°F | 29.1°F | 0.24 | 3.3 | 2 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 69°F | 35°F | 52.1°F | 11.23 | 14.1 | 37 | 86 | 173 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −11°C | −1.9°C | 6 mm | 6 cm |
| February | 9°C | −9°C | 0.2°C | 5 mm | 8 cm |
| March | 15°C | −4°C | 5.8°C | 13 mm | 7 cm |
| April | 19°C | 1°C | 10.2°C | 28 mm | 2 cm |
| May | 25°C | 7°C | 16.1°C | 38 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 32°C | 13°C | 22.2°C | 39 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 35°C | 16°C | 25.3°C | 55 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 33°C | 15°C | 23.9°C | 49 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 29°C | 9°C | 18.9°C | 18 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 21°C | 1°C | 11.1°C | 20 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 13°C | −6°C | 3.8°C | 8 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 7°C | −11°C | −1.6°C | 6 mm | 8 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00056131; 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 Ordway?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (2).
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 USC00056131.
When is the last frost in Ordway?
In Ordway, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 2 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 8 in half of years and before September 25 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 21 year in 10 after May 14; 9 in 10 after April 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 81 year in 10 before September 25; 9 in 10 before October 19
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 159 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 174 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 23 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ordway in zone 6a in ZIP code 81058, 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 USC00056131; 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 Ordway?
In a normal year in Ordway, 86 days a year reach 90°F (22 of them 100°F or more), 173 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 37 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 86a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 22a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 173a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 16high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 37a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 5a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00056131.
How sunny is Ordway?
Over a year 84% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Ordway, 5.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (89%) and February the cloudiest (76%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 2.7 |
| February | 76% | 3.5 |
| March | 81% | 4.9 |
| April | 80% | 6.1 |
| May | 82% | 7.0 |
| June | 87% | 7.6 |
| July | 89% | 7.4 |
| August | 89% | 6.7 |
| September | 88% | 5.5 |
| October | 84% | 4.1 |
| November | 84% | 3.0 |
| December | 79% | 2.4 |
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 Ordway need?
A normal year in Ordway brings 5,774 heating degree days, 7% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,102 cooling degree days, 21% more than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,440 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,130 | 0 |
| February | 911 | 0 |
| March | 701 | 0 |
| April | 443 | 2 |
| May | 173 | 51 |
| June | 19 | 229 |
| July | 1 | 387 |
| August | 5 | 317 |
| September | 83 | 113 |
| October | 409 | 5 |
| November | 785 | 0 |
| December | 1,114 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,774 | 1,102 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00056131. 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.
Has Ordway been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 53.5°F, 1.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 52.1°F. 3 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.3°F | +0.2°F | 10.76 | 12.8 |
| 2022 | 50.9°F | −1.2°F | 10.69 | 26.2 |
| 2023 | 52.0°F | −0.1°F | 13.04 | 18.8 |
| 2024 | 54.1°F | +2.0°F | 13.07 | 31.1 |
| 2025 | 53.5°F | +1.4°F | 12.52 | 14.4 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00056131. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Ordway's climate compare?
Ordway is warmer than 104 of the other 124 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 19. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.1°F is warmer than 50%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Ordway is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. 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.
Which places near Ordway share this climate record?
3 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.
- Olney Springs, CO295 people · 12 mi W
- Sugar City, CO246 people · 4 mi E
- Crowley, CO159 people · 7 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.
What do Ordway's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Ordway. This page uses Ordway (1 mi ENE); the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordway (21 mi N) USC00056136 | 21 mi N | 4,767 ft | 51.7°F | 13°F | 93°F | 11.6 | 17 | May 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Ordway's climate
What is the coldest month in Ordway?
January, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (94°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Ordway?
Yes: 14 inches in a normal year, falling on 6 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (3.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Ordway?
July, with 2.18 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.21 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Ordway in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ordway in zone 6a in ZIP code 81058, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Ordway?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 2; in one year in ten it comes after May 14. Waiting until May 14 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Rocky Ford, CO13 miles from this station, 53.8°F a year
- Cheraw, CO14 miles from this station, 52.5°F a year
- La Junta, CO17 miles from this station, 54.8°F a year
- Tacony (13 mi SE), CO19 miles from this station, 52.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made