Sterling, 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 Sterling's primary NOAA station, STERLING.
The climate verdict for Sterling
Dryness leads the climate profile for Sterling, Colorado, with 15.2 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 51°F. At 52/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 24% of scores.
- 51°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 52/100
- comfort score, above 24% of station-mapped location scores
- 15.2"
- annual precipitation
- 162 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Sterling: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00057950 · Sterling, CO 51°F mean · 15.2" 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 #3,156
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Kirksville
- PRCP-DRY 15.2"
- SWING-WIDE 48°F
- COMF-LOW 52/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,938 HDD
- STN-1 USC00057950
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Kirksville, MO (+ 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.
- Sterling (this station) 51°F
- Cold Chicago, IL 51°F
- Hot Kirksville, MO 51°F
- Near Imperial, NE 51°F
- Near Lamoni, IA 51°F
Climate Living Index · Sterling
Sterling: 31/100 · grade F
Sterling publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Sterling, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 52/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 51.4°F · 16.1° from 67.5°F | 46/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 162 days/year | 35/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 15.2 in · 19.8 from 35 in | 29/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 195 calendar days | 17/100 · F |
Sterling · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Sterling'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
- 76.7°F
- Coldest month
- 28.6°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 Sterling sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Sterling's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 46th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 82%
- Sterling'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 Sterling is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Sterling compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Sterling's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
52 24th percentile score exceeds 24% 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%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 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 | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42°F (6°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.3" | 30.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 46°F (8°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 0.5" | 27.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 57°F (14°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 0.8" | 24.3 | 0.0 |
| April | 64°F (18°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 1.3" | 11.9 | 0.0 |
| May | 73°F (23°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 2.2" | 1.3 | 2.7 |
| June | 85°F (29°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 2.2" | 0.1 | 10.0 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 2.7" | 0.0 | 19.4 |
| August | 89°F (31°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 74°F (23°C) | 1.5" | 0.0 | 16.3 |
| September | 81°F (27°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 1.6" | 0.6 | 7.2 |
| October | 66°F (19°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 1.2" | 11.1 | 0.4 |
| November | 53°F (12°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.5" | 25.9 | 0.0 |
| December | 42°F (5°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.3" | 30.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Sterling works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 92°F by July 15 and hold at or above 90°F on 34 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 161 dates, bottoming at 14°F around December 23.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 2 through August 4, covering 34 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 8 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 3, then returns to freezing around October 26, covering 161 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 June 3, when 30% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 17 at 7%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 57 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 17 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 33°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Sterling.
Where Sterling Stands Nationally
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 15 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
Daily temperature swings run wider than most of the country, peaking near 33°F between the normal high and low.
Sterling earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
2.3 days with precipitation
2.2 days with precipitation
3.0 days with precipitation
4.8 days with precipitation
7.6 days with precipitation
8.0 days with precipitation
7.8 days with precipitation
6.9 days with precipitation
5.1 days with precipitation
4.0 days with precipitation
2.5 days with precipitation
2.5 days with precipitation
Sterling runs a summer-peaked wet season
42% of Sterling's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is July at 2.7", on a wide 48.1°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: July, May, June, taking 47% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.3".
- Winter share: 8% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Sterling's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 57 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 15.2" between them, or roughly 0.27 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 9
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
162 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,938
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,003
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Sterling 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).
- Aberdeen, WA 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Astoria, OR 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Beatrice, NE 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Brockton, MA 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (15.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Tatum, NM 15.2" · 0.0" off
- Biddle, MT 15.3" · 0.0" off
- Rapelje, MT 15.2" · 0.0" off
- Conchas Dam, NM 15.2" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Sterling's climate pattern fits together
heating led · dry · mid swing
Sterling's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,938 annual heating degree days against 1,003 for cooling. Its 48.1°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Sterling's frost-free season lasts about 162 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Sterling's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 48.1°F. The annual average is 51°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Sterling's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 15.2 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Sterling's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Sterling, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Sterling's climate
How much rain does Sterling get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Sterling get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Sterling? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Sterling's primary station: STERLING (USC00057950). 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 0873935). Match rule for Sterling: 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 Sterling 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.