Paradox (2 mi N), Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Paradox (2 mi N)'s normal year runs from 13°F January nights to 94°F July afternoons, with 13.1 inches of precipitation and 26 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.3°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 34°C, 333 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationParadox (2 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00056320
- Location38.39°N 108.95°W
- Elevation5,447 ft (1,660 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Paradox (2 mi N) is 66°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 15%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Paradox (2 mi N).
- Jan 40° 13°
- Feb 47° 20°
- Mar 59° 25°
- Apr 66° 30°
- May 77° 40°
- Jun 88° 49°
- Jul 94° 57°
- Aug 91° 55°
- Sep 83° 46°
- Oct 69° 34°
- Nov 54° 22°
- 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 at Paradox (2 mi N) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 94°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 13°F. The most precipitation falls in July (1.71 in), the least in June (0.71 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 13°F | 26.8°F | 0.95 | 6.1 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 47°F | 20°F | 33.5°F | 1.10 | 6.7 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 59°F | 25°F | 41.8°F | 0.80 | 1.2 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 30°F | 48.0°F | 1.00 | 0.3 | 5 | <1 | 17 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 77°F | 40°F | 58.3°F | 0.91 | 0.0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 88°F | 49°F | 68.5°F | 0.71 | 0.0 | 3 | 18 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 94°F | 57°F | 75.1°F | 1.71 | 0.0 | 8 | 26 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 91°F | 55°F | 72.9°F | 1.45 | 0.0 | 7 | 20 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 83°F | 46°F | 64.6°F | 1.43 | 0.0 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 69°F | 34°F | 51.4°F | 1.21 | 1.0 | 5 | <1 | 14 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 54°F | 22°F | 38.1°F | 0.76 | 1.3 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 42°F | 15°F | 28.2°F | 1.09 | 9.3 | 7 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 34°F | 50.6°F | 13.12 | 25.9 | 70 | 74 | 177 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −10°C | −2.9°C | 24 mm | 15 cm |
| February | 9°C | −7°C | 0.8°C | 28 mm | 17 cm |
| March | 15°C | −4°C | 5.4°C | 20 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 19°C | −1°C | 8.9°C | 25 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 25°C | 5°C | 14.6°C | 23 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 31°C | 9°C | 20.3°C | 18 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 34°C | 14°C | 23.9°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 33°C | 13°C | 22.7°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 8°C | 18.1°C | 36 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 1°C | 10.8°C | 31 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 12°C | −6°C | 3.4°C | 19 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 5°C | −10°C | −2.1°C | 28 mm | 24 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00056320; 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 Paradox (2 mi N)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, April has the fewest days with rain (5).
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 USC00056320.
When is the last frost at Paradox (2 mi N)?
In Paradox (2 mi N), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 11 in half of years and after May 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 5 in half of years and before September 23 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 111 year in 10 after May 29; 9 in 10 after April 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 51 year in 10 before September 23; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 146 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 167 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Paradox (2 mi N) in zone 6b in ZIP code 81429, 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 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (15 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Colorado · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00056320; 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 Paradox (2 mi N)?
In a normal year in Paradox (2 mi N), 74 days a year reach 90°F (10 of them 100°F or more), 177 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 70 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 74a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 177a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 12high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 70a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 9a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00056320.
How sunny is it at Paradox (2 mi N)?
Over a year 81% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Paradox (2 mi N), 5.1 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (88%) and December the cloudiest (75%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 2.7 |
| February | 76% | 3.6 |
| March | 78% | 4.9 |
| April | 79% | 6.1 |
| May | 81% | 7.1 |
| June | 88% | 8.0 |
| July | 82% | 7.1 |
| August | 81% | 6.3 |
| September | 85% | 5.5 |
| October | 83% | 4.2 |
| November | 81% | 3.0 |
| December | 75% | 2.3 |
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 Paradox (2 mi N) record?
A normal year at Paradox (2 mi N) brings 6,009 heating degree days, 12% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 790 cooling degree days, 13% fewer 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 2,952 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,184 | 0 |
| February | 881 | 0 |
| March | 719 | 0 |
| April | 509 | 0 |
| May | 227 | 19 |
| June | 37 | 142 |
| July | 1 | 312 |
| August | 2 | 249 |
| September | 80 | 67 |
| October | 424 | 1 |
| November | 806 | 0 |
| December | 1,140 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,009 | 790 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00056320. 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 Paradox (2 mi N) been warmer than normal?
2023 averaged 50.4°F, 0.2°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 50.6°F. 2 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.5°F | +1.9°F | 11.46 | 17.6 |
| 2022 | 51.3°F | +0.7°F | 9.96 | 18.7 |
| 2023 | 50.4°F | −0.2°F | 11.37 | 31.8 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00056320. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Paradox (2 mi N)'s climate compare?
Paradox (2 mi N) is warmer than 86 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 31. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.6°F is warmer than 43%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Paradox (2 mi N) 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.
Questions about Paradox (2 mi N)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Paradox (2 mi N)?
January, with a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 13°F. The warmest is July (94°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow at Paradox (2 mi N)?
Yes: 26 inches in a normal year, falling on 17 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (9.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Paradox (2 mi N)?
July, with 1.71 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.71 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Paradox (2 mi N) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Paradox (2 mi N) in zone 6b in ZIP code 81429, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come at Paradox (2 mi N)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 11; in one year in ten it comes after May 29. Waiting until May 29 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Uravan, CO11 miles from this station, 54.4°F a year
- La Sal, UT18 miles from this station, 48.1°F a year
- Gateway (1 mi ENE), CO21 miles from this station, 56.1°F a year
- Castle Valley, UT29 miles from this station, 54.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made