Rangely, 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 Rangely's primary NOAA station, RANGELY 1E.
The climate verdict for Rangely
Winter sets the terms in Rangely, Colorado. A pronounced 57.1°F seasonal swing and heating demand above twice the cooling total frame an annual average of 47°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.
- 47°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 10.9"
- annual precipitation · 30" snow
- 139 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Rangely: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00056832 · Rangely, CO 47°F mean · 10.9" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 47°F
- RANK-COOL #1,715
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Gays Mills
- PRCP-ARID 10.9"
- SWING-WIDE 57°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,354 HDD
- STN-1 USC00056832
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Gays Mills, WI (+ 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.
- Rangely (this station) 47°F
- Hot Sac City, IA 47°F
- Near Gays Mills, WI 47°F
- Near Oshkosh, WI 47°F
- Near Trempealeau Dam, WI 47°F
Climate Living Index · Rangely
Rangely: 17/100 · grade F
Rangely publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Rangely, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 29.5 inches/year | 39/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 46.5°F · 21.0° from 67.5°F | 25/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 139 days/year | 18/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 10.9 in · 24.1 from 35 in | 15/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 241 calendar days | 0/100 · F |
Rangely · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Rangely'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
- 74.0°F
- Coldest month
- 16.9°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 Rangely sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Rangely's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 75%
- Among 6,861 stations, Rangely sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 92%
- Rangely's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 95%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Rangely is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Rangely compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Rangely'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
Rangely's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 40 complete annual observations from 1952 to 2024, RANGELY 1E warmed at a fitted rate of 0.30°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Rangely primary station fitted change +0.30 °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 | 31°F (0°C) | 3°F (-16°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 0.7" | 8.0" | 31.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 40°F (4°C) | 10°F (-12°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 0.7" | 5.6" | 27.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 54°F (12°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.9" | 3.1" | 27.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 62°F (17°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.1" | 1.4" | 14.1 | 0.0 |
| May | 73°F (23°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 1.2" | 0.1" | 2.4 | 0.4 |
| June | 85°F (30°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 10.0 |
| July | 93°F (34°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 74°F (23°C) | 0.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 21.8 |
| August | 90°F (32°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 15.7 |
| September | 80°F (27°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 1.3" | 0.0" | 1.0 | 2.9 |
| October | 66°F (19°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 1.2" | 0.6" | 13.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 48°F (9°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 0.9" | 3.3" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
| December | 33°F (1°C) | 6°F (-14°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 0.6" | 7.4" | 31.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Rangely works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 93°F by July 19 and hold at or above 90°F on 48 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 193 dates, bottoming at 2°F around January 7.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 29 through August 15, covering 48 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 9 to October 7.
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 14, covering 193 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 April 29, when 23% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 26 at 12%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 65 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 28 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 38°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Rangely.
Where Rangely Stands Nationally
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 11 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Day-to-night contrast is extreme by national standards — the widest normal daily swing reaches about 38°F, sharper than nine in ten ranked stations see.
Rangely 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: 8.0"
5.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.6"
4.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.1"
5.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.4"
6.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
6.8 days with precipitation
3.9 days with precipitation
4.8 days with precipitation
6.2 days with precipitation
5.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.6"
5.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.3"
4.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.4"
5.1 days with precipitation
Rangely spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 22% of the annual total and December through February 18%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Rangely has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 57.1°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: September averages 1.3" and December 0.6". The three wettest months together take 34% 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.
Rangely 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 10.9" between them. At roughly 0.17 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 May at about 7 wet days; the driest is June at about 4.
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 Rangely
Rangely averages 29.5 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 18 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: 29.5 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 18 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 27% 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 1
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 15
50% probability date
Growing Season
139 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,354
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
658
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Rangely 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 (47°F here).
- Beulah, MI 47°F · 0.0°F off
- Charles City, IA 47°F · 0.0°F off
- Coggon, IA 47°F · 0.0°F off
- Fort Dodge, IA 47°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (10.9" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hartline, WA 10.9" · 0.0" off
- Dell City, TX 10.9" · 0.0" off
- Paradise Valley, NV 10.9" · 0.0" off
- Dubois, WY 10.9" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Rangely
heating led · dry · high swing
Winter and seasonal range jointly define this record. Rangely logs 7,354 heating degree days, more than twice its 658 cooling total, while the typical coldest-to-warmest-month gap reaches 57.1°F. The annual mean therefore compresses two materially different seasons.
Only about 139 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. Rangely coldest normal
January
Averaging 17°F (-8°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Rangely typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Rangely snow peak
January
Rangely averages 29.5 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Rangely's climate
How much snow does Rangely get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Rangely get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Rangely? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Rangely's primary station: RANGELY 1E (USC00056832). 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 0862880). Match rule for Rangely: 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 Rangely 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.