Sugarloaf Reservoir, Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Sugarloaf Reservoir's normal year runs from 3°F January nights to 73°F July afternoons, with 16.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 1.8°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 23°C, 421 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSugarloaf Reservoir
- Station IDUSC00058064
- Location39.25°N 106.37°W
- Elevation9,738 ft (2,968 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Sugarloaf Reservoir is 48°F and the normal low 22°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 20%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sugarloaf Reservoir.
- Jan 32° 3°
- Feb 33° 3°
- Mar 39° 9°
- Apr 44° 18°
- May 55° 27°
- Jun 68° 34°
- Jul 73° 40°
- Aug 70° 38°
- Sep 62° 31°
- Oct 51° 24°
- Nov 39° 14°
- Dec 31° 6°
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 Sugarloaf Reservoir each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 73°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 3°F. The most precipitation falls in August (2.10 in), the least in June (0.93 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 3°F | 17.5°F | 0.97 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 33°F | 3°F | 18.0°F | 1.43 | 8 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 39°F | 9°F | 24.3°F | 1.34 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 44°F | 18°F | 31.1°F | 1.71 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 55°F | 27°F | 41.0°F | 1.40 | 9 | <1 | 26 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 68°F | 34°F | 51.1°F | 0.93 | 8 | <1 | 9 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 73°F | 40°F | 56.1°F | 1.86 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 70°F | 38°F | 53.9°F | 2.10 | 12 | <1 | 2 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 62°F | 31°F | 46.7°F | 1.42 | 8 | <1 | 15 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 51°F | 24°F | 37.2°F | 1.05 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 39°F | 14°F | 26.6°F | 1.30 | 7 | <1 | 30 | 10 h |
| December | 31°F | 6°F | 18.4°F | 1.06 | 6 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 50°F | 21°F | 35.2°F | 16.57 | 101 | <1 | 260 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −16°C | −8.1°C | 25 mm |
| February | 0°C | −16°C | −7.8°C | 36 mm |
| March | 4°C | −13°C | −4.3°C | 34 mm |
| April | 7°C | −8°C | −0.5°C | 43 mm |
| May | 13°C | −3°C | 5.0°C | 36 mm |
| June | 20°C | 1°C | 10.6°C | 24 mm |
| July | 23°C | 4°C | 13.4°C | 47 mm |
| August | 21°C | 3°C | 12.2°C | 53 mm |
| September | 17°C | 0°C | 8.2°C | 36 mm |
| October | 11°C | −5°C | 2.9°C | 27 mm |
| November | 4°C | −10°C | −3.0°C | 33 mm |
| December | −1°C | −14°C | −7.6°C | 27 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Leadville (3 miles away), gets 157 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00058064; 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 Sugarloaf Reservoir?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July and August. Of those, June has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USC00058064.
How hot and how cold does it get at Sugarloaf Reservoir?
In a normal year in Sugarloaf Reservoir, a 90°F day is rare, 260 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 101 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 260a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 66high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 101a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1900) is 97°F, on August 3, 1902; the lowest is −55°F, on January 10, 1962.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1957, with 25.61 in; the snowiest season is 1974–75, with 202.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00058064; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00058064. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Sugarloaf Reservoir?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Sugarloaf Reservoir, 4.8 kWh per square metre a day. March is the sunniest month (81%) and May the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.7 |
| February | 78% | 3.7 |
| March | 81% | 5.2 |
| April | 74% | 5.8 |
| May | 70% | 6.3 |
| June | 81% | 7.5 |
| July | 77% | 6.7 |
| August | 76% | 5.9 |
| September | 80% | 5.2 |
| October | 76% | 3.8 |
| November | 75% | 2.8 |
| December | 74% | 2.3 |
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 Sugarloaf Reservoir record?
A normal year at Sugarloaf Reservoir brings 10,856 heating degree days, 2.0 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 0 cooling degree days, 100% fewer than the median (908). Eleven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 448 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,474 | 0 |
| February | 1,315 | 0 |
| March | 1,263 | 0 |
| April | 1,017 | 0 |
| May | 744 | 0 |
| June | 416 | 0 |
| July | 276 | 0 |
| August | 344 | 0 |
| September | 551 | 0 |
| October | 860 | 0 |
| November | 1,152 | 0 |
| December | 1,445 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,856 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00058064. 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 Sugarloaf Reservoir been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 37.0°F, 1.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 35.2°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36.7°F | +1.5°F | – |
| 2022 | 35.5°F | +0.3°F | – |
| 2023 | 35.1°F | −0.1°F | – |
| 2025 | 37.0°F | +1.8°F | – |
Over 49 complete years from 1949 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.7°F per century (+0.15°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00058064; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Sugarloaf Reservoir's climate compare?
Sugarloaf Reservoir is warmer than 3 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado, and wetter than 77. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 35.2°F is warmer than 2%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Sugarloaf Reservoir is Dfc: continental, no dry season, cool 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.
Questions about Sugarloaf Reservoir's climate
What is the coldest month at Sugarloaf Reservoir?
January, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 3°F. The warmest is July (73°F by day, 40°F at night).
Does it snow at Sugarloaf Reservoir?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Leadville (3 miles away), records 157 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Sugarloaf Reservoir?
August, with 2.10 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.93 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Sugarloaf Reservoir in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sugarloaf Reservoir in zone 5a in ZIP code 80461, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −19°F (26 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Leadville, CO3 miles from this station, 34.6°F a year
- Twin Lakes, CO11 miles from this station, 37.7°F a year
- Climax, CO12 miles from this station, 32.2°F a year
- Fairplay, CO21 miles from this station, 36.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made