Paradox, CO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Paradox's primary NOAA station, PARADOX 2N.
The climate verdict for Paradox
Dryness leads the climate profile for Paradox, Colorado, with 13.1 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 51°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 51°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 13.1"
- annual precipitation · 26" snow
- 147 days
- frost-free growing season
Paradox: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00056320 · Paradox, CO 51°F mean · 13.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 51°F
- RANK-MID #2,950
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Marion
- PRCP-DRY 13.1"
- SWING-WIDE 48°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,009 HDD
- STN-1 USC00056320
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Marion, OH (+ 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.
- Paradox (this station) 51°F
- Cold Levan, UT 51°F
- Hot Decatur, IN 51°F
- Near Marion, OH 51°F
- Near Westfield, NY 51°F
Climate Living Index · Paradox
Paradox: 24/100 · grade F
Paradox publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Paradox, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 50.6°F · 16.9° from 67.5°F | 43/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 25.9 inches/year | 43/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 147 days/year | 23/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 13.1 in · 21.9 from 35 in | 22/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 250 calendar days | 0/100 · F |
Paradox · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Paradox's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 75.1°F
- Coldest month
- 26.8°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 Paradox sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Paradox's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 43rd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 87%
- Paradox's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 74%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Paradox is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Paradox compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Paradox's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% 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%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F (5°C) | 13°F (-10°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 0.9" | 6.1" | 30.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 47°F (9°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 1.1" | 6.7" | 27.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 59°F (15°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 0.8" | 1.2" | 26.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 66°F (19°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 1.0" | 0.3" | 17.3 | 0.1 |
| May | 77°F (25°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 0.9" | 0.0" | 3.6 | 1.3 |
| June | 88°F (31°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 18.3 |
| July | 94°F (34°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 1.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 25.8 |
| August | 91°F (33°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 1.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 20.4 |
| September | 83°F (28°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 1.4" | 0.0" | 0.8 | 7.5 |
| October | 69°F (20°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 1.2" | 1.0" | 13.6 | 0.1 |
| November | 54°F (12°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.8" | 1.3" | 26.9 | 0.0 |
| December | 42°F (5°C) | 15°F (-10°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 1.1" | 9.3" | 30.4 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Paradox works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 94°F by July 10 and hold at or above 90°F on 64 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 186 dates, bottoming at 12°F around January 7.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 20 through August 22, covering 64 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs April 29 to October 13.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 23, then returns to freezing around October 21, covering 186 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 July 24, when 25% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 16 at 13%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 71 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 22 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 41°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Paradox.
Where Paradox Stands Nationally
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 41°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Heat is a defining feature of the normals calendar — the normal daily high reaches 90°F on roughly 64 days a year, more than four out of five ranked stations record.
Paradox 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: 6.1"
6.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.7"
6.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.2"
5.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
4.6 days with precipitation
6.9 days with precipitation
3.2 days with precipitation
7.6 days with precipitation
6.5 days with precipitation
5.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.0"
5.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.3"
4.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.3"
7.3 days with precipitation
Paradox spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 29% of the annual total and December through February 24%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Paradox has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 48.3°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: July averages 1.7" and June 0.7". The three wettest months together take 35% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Paradox is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 70 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 19% of the calendar, and they carry 13.1" between them. At roughly 0.19 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 July at about 8 wet days; the driest is June 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 Paradox
Paradox averages 25.9 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 17 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: 25.9 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 17 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 20% 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
October 5
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 11
50% probability date
Growing Season
147 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,009
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
790
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Paradox 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 (51°F here).
- Bellefontaine, OH 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Bridgeport, NE 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Delta, UT 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Detroit, MI 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (13.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Cedarville, CA 13.1" · 0.0" off
- Dayville, OR 13.1" · 0.0" off
- Malad City, ID 13.1" · 0.0" off
- Heppner, OR 13.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Paradox
heating led · dry · mid swing
Paradox's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,009 annual heating degree days against 790 for cooling. Its 48.3°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 147 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. Paradox coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 27°F (-3°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Paradox typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Paradox snow peak
December
Paradox averages 25.9 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Paradox's climate
How much snow does Paradox get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Paradox get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Paradox? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Paradox's primary station: PARADOX 2N (USC00056320). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Paradox; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Paradox 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.