Vallecito Reservoir, Colorado climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Vallecito Reservoir's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.2°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 27°C.
- NOAA stationVallecito Reservoir
- Station IDUSC00058590
- Location37.38°N 107.58°W
- Elevation7,673 ft (2,339 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Vallecito Reservoir is 57°F and the normal low 35°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Vallecito Reservoir.
- Jan 37° 9°
- Feb 42° 12°
- Mar 48° 21°
- Apr 55° 29°
- May 64° 37°
- Jun 76° 44°
- Jul 80° 53°
- Aug 78° 51°
- Sep 72° 45°
- Oct 60° 38°
- Nov 47° 25°
- Dec 39° 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 Vallecito Reservoir each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 9°F | 23.0°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 42°F | 12°F | 26.9°F | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 48°F | 21°F | 34.8°F | – | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 29°F | 42.1°F | – | <1 | 21 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 64°F | 37°F | 50.6°F | – | <1 | 5 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 76°F | 44°F | 60.2°F | – | <1 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 80°F | 53°F | 66.5°F | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 78°F | 51°F | 64.7°F | – | <1 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 72°F | 45°F | 58.8°F | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 60°F | 38°F | 48.9°F | – | <1 | 12 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 47°F | 25°F | 36.3°F | – | <1 | 26 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 39°F | 17°F | 27.5°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 32°F | 45.0°F | – | 1 | 185 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −13°C | −5.0°C |
| February | 5°C | −11°C | −2.8°C |
| March | 9°C | −6°C | 1.6°C |
| April | 13°C | −2°C | 5.6°C |
| May | 18°C | 3°C | 10.3°C |
| June | 24°C | 7°C | 15.7°C |
| July | 27°C | 12°C | 19.2°C |
| August | 26°C | 11°C | 18.2°C |
| September | 22°C | 7°C | 14.9°C |
| October | 16°C | 3°C | 9.4°C |
| November | 8°C | −4°C | 2.4°C |
| December | 4°C | −9°C | −2.5°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Vallecito Reservoir's own co-op station Vallecito Dam does: 85 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00058590; 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 Vallecito Reservoir?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September.
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 USC00058590.
When is the last frost at Vallecito Reservoir?
In Vallecito Reservoir, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 18 in half of years and after June 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 11 in half of years and before September 27 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 181 year in 10 after June 6; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 111 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 26
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 145 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 173 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 3 in half of springs and before October 24 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Vallecito Reservoir in zone 6a in ZIP code 81122, 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 USC00058590; 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 Vallecito Reservoir?
In a normal year in Vallecito Reservoir, 1 day a year reaches 90°F and 185 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 185a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 24high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00058590.
How sunny is it at Vallecito Reservoir?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Vallecito Reservoir, 5.0 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (75%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.9 |
| February | 76% | 3.8 |
| March | 78% | 5.1 |
| April | 75% | 6.1 |
| May | 76% | 6.8 |
| June | 85% | 7.8 |
| July | 76% | 6.7 |
| August | 77% | 6.0 |
| September | 80% | 5.4 |
| October | 81% | 4.2 |
| November | 79% | 3.1 |
| December | 75% | 2.5 |
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 Vallecito Reservoir record?
A normal year at Vallecito Reservoir brings 7,358 heating degree days, 37% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 97 cooling degree days, 89% 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 1,693 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,301 | 0 |
| February | 1,067 | 0 |
| March | 938 | 0 |
| April | 688 | 0 |
| May | 446 | 0 |
| June | 161 | 15 |
| July | 14 | 58 |
| August | 35 | 23 |
| September | 186 | 0 |
| October | 499 | 0 |
| November | 861 | 0 |
| December | 1,162 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,358 | 97 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00058590. 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 Vallecito Reservoir been warmer than normal?
2022 averaged 44.9°F, 0.1°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 45.0°F. 1 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.6°F | +0.6°F |
| 2022 | 44.9°F | −0.1°F |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00058590. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Vallecito Reservoir's climate compare?
Vallecito Reservoir is warmer than 42 of the 125 places with their own NOAA record in Colorado. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.0°F is warmer than 19%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Vallecito Reservoir share this climate record?
Bayfield 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.
- Bayfield, CO2,923 people · 10 mi S
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Vallecito Reservoir's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Vallecito Reservoir. This page uses VALLECITO RESERVOIR; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vallecito Dam USC00058582 | in town | 7,644 ft | 43.7°F | 7°F | 81°F | 25.8 | 85 | May 31 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Vallecito Reservoir's climate
What is the coldest month at Vallecito Reservoir?
January, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow at Vallecito Reservoir?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; Vallecito Reservoir's own co-op station Vallecito Dam records 85 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Vallecito Reservoir in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Vallecito Reservoir in zone 6a in ZIP code 81122, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Vallecito Reservoir?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 18; in one year in ten it comes after June 6. Waiting until June 6 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Colorado climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lemon Dam, CO4 miles from this station, 42.9°F a year
- Durango, CO19 miles from this station, 46.4°F a year
- Ignacio, CO21 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- Fort Lewis, CO28 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made