Shoshone, Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Shoshone's normal year runs from 15°F January nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 20.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.8°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 32°C, 509 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationShoshone
- Station IDUSC00057618
- Location39.57°N 107.23°W
- Elevation5,992 ft (1,826 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Shoshone is 62°F and the normal low 35°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Shoshone.
- Jan 36° 15°
- Feb 43° 20°
- Mar 53° 28°
- Apr 62° 35°
- May 71° 44°
- Jun 83° 51°
- Jul 89° 59°
- Aug 87° 58°
- Sep 79° 50°
- Oct 65° 38°
- Nov 49° 27°
- Dec 36° 16°
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 Shoshone each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 15°F. The most precipitation falls in April (2.34 in), the least in June (0.99 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 15°F | 25.2°F | 1.66 | 11 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 43°F | 20°F | 31.5°F | 1.59 | 11 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 53°F | 28°F | 40.8°F | 1.33 | 9 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 62°F | 35°F | 48.3°F | 2.34 | 11 | <1 | 7 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 71°F | 44°F | 57.5°F | 2.10 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 83°F | 51°F | 67.2°F | 0.99 | 6 | 7 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 89°F | 59°F | 74.3°F | 1.03 | 7 | 20 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 87°F | 58°F | 72.2°F | 1.52 | 9 | 14 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 79°F | 50°F | 64.8°F | 2.17 | 8 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 38°F | 51.6°F | 2.08 | 8 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 49°F | 27°F | 38.0°F | 1.74 | 8 | <1 | 21 | 10 h |
| December | 36°F | 16°F | 25.8°F | 1.48 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 37°F | 49.7°F | 20.03 | 106 | 44 | 143 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −10°C | −3.8°C | 42 mm |
| February | 6°C | −6°C | −0.3°C | 40 mm |
| March | 12°C | −2°C | 4.9°C | 34 mm |
| April | 16°C | 2°C | 9.1°C | 59 mm |
| May | 22°C | 7°C | 14.2°C | 53 mm |
| June | 28°C | 11°C | 19.6°C | 25 mm |
| July | 32°C | 15°C | 23.5°C | 26 mm |
| August | 30°C | 14°C | 22.3°C | 39 mm |
| September | 26°C | 10°C | 18.2°C | 55 mm |
| October | 18°C | 3°C | 10.9°C | 53 mm |
| November | 9°C | −3°C | 3.3°C | 44 mm |
| December | 2°C | −9°C | −3.4°C | 38 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Glenwood Springs (6 miles away), gets 39 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00057618; 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 Shoshone?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00057618.
When is the last frost at Shoshone?
In Shoshone, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 1 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 14 in half of years and before October 1 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 11 year in 10 after May 14; 9 in 10 after April 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 141 year in 10 before October 1; 9 in 10 before October 27
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 164 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 184 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 21 in half of springs and before October 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Shoshone in zone 6a in ZIP code 81601, 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 USC00057618; 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 at Shoshone?
In a normal year in Shoshone, 44 days a year reach 90°F, 143 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 106 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 44a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 143a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 21high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 106a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00057618.
How sunny is it at Shoshone?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Shoshone, 4.8 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (84%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 2.5 |
| February | 72% | 3.4 |
| March | 77% | 4.9 |
| April | 73% | 5.7 |
| May | 73% | 6.5 |
| June | 84% | 7.7 |
| July | 81% | 7.0 |
| August | 79% | 6.2 |
| September | 82% | 5.3 |
| October | 77% | 3.8 |
| November | 75% | 2.7 |
| December | 70% | 2.1 |
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 Shoshone record?
A normal year at Shoshone brings 6,260 heating degree days, 17% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 721 cooling degree days, 21% 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 2,846 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,235 | 0 |
| February | 939 | 0 |
| March | 752 | 0 |
| April | 501 | 0 |
| May | 247 | 13 |
| June | 55 | 121 |
| July | 1 | 287 |
| August | 2 | 225 |
| September | 82 | 74 |
| October | 418 | 1 |
| November | 812 | 0 |
| December | 1,216 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,260 | 721 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00057618. 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 Shoshone been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 50.5°F, 0.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.7°F. 2 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.5°F | +1.8°F | – |
| 2022 | 49.2°F | −0.5°F | – |
| 2024 | 50.5°F | +0.8°F | 24.30 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00057618. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Shoshone's climate compare?
Shoshone is warmer than 71 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 109. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.7°F is warmer than 39%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Shoshone is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot 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 Shoshone share this climate record?
4 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.
- Gypsum, CO9,218 people · 15 mi E
- El Jebel, CO3,935 people · 13 mi SE
- Dotsero, CO1,321 people · 11 mi NE
- Carbonate, CO0 people · 14 mi NW
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 Shoshone's climate
What is the coldest month at Shoshone?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 15°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow at Shoshone?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Glenwood Springs (6 miles away), records 39 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Shoshone?
April, with 2.34 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.99 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Shoshone in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Shoshone in zone 6a in ZIP code 81601, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Shoshone?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 1; 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
- Glenwood Springs, CO6 miles from this station, 47.6°F a year
- Rifle, CO27 miles from this station, 49.1°F a year
- Meredith, CO30 miles from this station, 38.7°F a year
- Aspen, CO30 miles from this station, 42.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made