Sheep Mountain, Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Sheep Mountain's normal year runs from 17°F December nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 13.6 inches of precipitation and 51 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.7°C, December lows of −8°C, July highs of 28°C, 346 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSheep Mountain
- Station IDUSC00057572
- Location37.72°N 105.24°W
- Elevation7,744 ft (2,360 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Sheep Mountain is 59°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 13%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sheep Mountain.
- Jan 41° 17°
- Feb 42° 18°
- Mar 50° 23°
- Apr 57° 28°
- May 66° 36°
- Jun 77° 45°
- Jul 82° 51°
- Aug 79° 50°
- Sep 73° 43°
- Oct 62° 33°
- Nov 49° 24°
- Dec 41° 17°
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 Sheep Mountain each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 17°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.34 in), the least in January (0.50 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 17°F | 28.9°F | 0.50 | 7.7 | 3 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 42°F | 18°F | 29.9°F | 0.72 | 7.2 | 4 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 50°F | 23°F | 36.2°F | 0.82 | 7.8 | 4 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 28°F | 42.3°F | 1.39 | 8.3 | 4 | <1 | 20 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 66°F | 36°F | 51.2°F | 1.32 | 0.7 | 6 | <1 | 7 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 77°F | 45°F | 61.2°F | 0.80 | 0.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 82°F | 51°F | 66.2°F | 2.29 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 79°F | 50°F | 64.2°F | 2.34 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 73°F | 43°F | 57.8°F | 1.00 | 0.1 | 5 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 33°F | 47.3°F | 1.00 | 1.8 | 4 | <1 | 12 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 49°F | 24°F | 36.5°F | 0.86 | 10.3 | 4 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 41°F | 17°F | 28.8°F | 0.60 | 7.3 | 3 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 32°F | 45.9°F | 13.64 | 51.2 | 61 | 2 | 171 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −8°C | −1.7°C | 13 mm | 20 cm |
| February | 6°C | −8°C | −1.2°C | 18 mm | 18 cm |
| March | 10°C | −5°C | 2.3°C | 21 mm | 20 cm |
| April | 14°C | −2°C | 5.7°C | 35 mm | 21 cm |
| May | 19°C | 2°C | 10.7°C | 34 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 25°C | 7°C | 16.2°C | 20 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 10°C | 19.0°C | 58 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 10°C | 17.9°C | 59 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 6°C | 14.3°C | 25 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 1°C | 8.5°C | 25 mm | 5 cm |
| November | 10°C | −5°C | 2.5°C | 22 mm | 26 cm |
| December | 5°C | −8°C | −1.8°C | 15 mm | 19 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00057572; 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 Sheep Mountain?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (4).
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 USC00057572.
When is the last frost at Sheep Mountain?
In Sheep Mountain, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 27 in half of years and after June 10 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 25 in half of years and before September 11 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 271 year in 10 after June 10; 9 in 10 after May 12
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 251 year in 10 before September 11; 9 in 10 before October 8
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 119 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 141 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 13 in half of springs and before October 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sheep Mountain in zone 6a in ZIP code 81040, 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 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (20 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 USC00057572; 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 Sheep Mountain?
In a normal year in Sheep Mountain, 2 days a year reach 90°F, 171 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 61 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 171a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 23high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 61a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 15a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00057572.
How sunny is it at Sheep Mountain?
Over a year 83% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Sheep Mountain, 5.3 kWh per square metre a day. October is the sunniest month (86%) and April the cloudiest (80%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 85% | 3.1 |
| February | 85% | 4.2 |
| March | 81% | 5.2 |
| April | 80% | 6.3 |
| May | 82% | 7.2 |
| June | 85% | 7.8 |
| July | 80% | 6.9 |
| August | 82% | 6.4 |
| September | 86% | 5.7 |
| October | 86% | 4.5 |
| November | 85% | 3.3 |
| December | 83% | 2.7 |
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 Sheep Mountain record?
A normal year at Sheep Mountain brings 7,092 heating degree days, 32% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 149 cooling degree days, 84% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,736 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,119 | 0 |
| February | 981 | 0 |
| March | 891 | 0 |
| April | 680 | 0 |
| May | 429 | 1 |
| June | 137 | 24 |
| July | 39 | 75 |
| August | 67 | 42 |
| September | 223 | 7 |
| October | 549 | 0 |
| November | 854 | 0 |
| December | 1,124 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,092 | 149 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00057572. 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.
How does Sheep Mountain's climate compare?
Sheep Mountain is warmer than 44 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 39. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.9°F is warmer than 23%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Sheep Mountain is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. 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 Sheep Mountain share this climate record?
Gardner has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Gardner, CO59 people · 6 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Sheep Mountain's climate
What is the coldest month at Sheep Mountain?
December, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 17°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 51°F at night).
Does it snow at Sheep Mountain?
Yes: 51 inches in a normal year, falling on 17 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in November (10.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Sheep Mountain?
August, with 2.34 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.50 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Sheep Mountain in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sheep Mountain in zone 6a in ZIP code 81040, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come at Sheep Mountain?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 27; in one year in ten it comes after June 10. Waiting until June 10 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, CO15 miles from this station, 44.5°F a year
- Rye, CO21 miles from this station, 50.0°F a year
- Blanca, CO25 miles from this station, 43.5°F a year
- Walsenburg, CO25 miles from this station, 51.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made