Wheat Ridge, CO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Wheat Ridge's primary NOAA station, WHEAT RIDGE 2.
The climate verdict for Wheat Ridge
Dryness leads the climate profile for Wheat Ridge, Colorado, with 17.1 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 50°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 50°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 17.1"
- annual precipitation · 76" snow
- 153 days
- frost-free growing season
Wheat Ridge: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00058995 · Wheat Ridge, CO 50°F mean · 17.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 50°F
- RANK-MID #2,813
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ McDermitt
- PRCP-DRY 17.1"
- SWING-MID 41°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,926 HDD
- STN-1 USC00058995
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: McDermitt, OR (+ 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.
- Wheat Ridge (this station) 50°F
- Cold Westhamptn Gabr…, NY 50°F
- Hot Mtn Dell Dam, UT 50°F
- Near McDermitt, OR 50°F
- Near Rector, PA 50°F
Climate Living Index · Wheat Ridge
Wheat Ridge: 31/100 · grade F
Wheat Ridge publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Wheat Ridge, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 50.3°F · 17.2° from 67.5°F | 42/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 17.1 in · 17.9 from 35 in | 36/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 175 calendar days | 29/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 153 days/year | 28/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 75.5 inches/year | 8/100 · F |
Wheat Ridge · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Wheat Ridge is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 31.6°F and warmest-month mean 72.5°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfa
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 72.5°F
- Coldest month
- 31.6°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 Wheat Ridge sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Wheat Ridge's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 41st percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 78%
- Wheat Ridge's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 40th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Wheat Ridge compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Wheat Ridge's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 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
Wheat Ridge's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 36 complete annual observations from 1982 to 2025, WHEAT RIDGE 2 warmed at a fitted rate of 0.19°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Wheat Ridge primary station fitted change +0.19 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F (8°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 0.6" | 9.6" | 29.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 48°F (9°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 0.8" | 11.9" | 26.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 57°F (14°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 1.5" | 12.9" | 25.2 | 0.0 |
| April | 62°F (17°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 2.3" | 12.1" | 14.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 71°F (22°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 2.6" | 2.2" | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| June | 83°F (28°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 1.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 7.9 |
| July | 88°F (31°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 1.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 15.8 |
| August | 86°F (30°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 11.7 |
| September | 79°F (26°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 1.3" | 1.0" | 1.0 | 3.3 |
| October | 66°F (19°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 1.2" | 5.9" | 12.8 | 0.1 |
| November | 55°F (13°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.9" | 10.0" | 25.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 47°F (8°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 0.6" | 9.9" | 30.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 89°F around July 18, short of 90°F on every date, while 175 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 16°F near December 18.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 12, then returns to freezing around October 21, covering 175 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 May 16, when 33% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 1 at 16%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 87 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 13 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 34°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Wheat Ridge.
Where Wheat Ridge Stands Nationally
Daily temperature swings run wider than most of the country, peaking near 34°F between the normal high and low.
Wheat Ridge earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 9.6"
5.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 11.9"
6.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 12.9"
7.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 12.1"
9.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.2"
10.3 days with precipitation
8.3 days with precipitation
8.8 days with precipitation
8.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.0"
6.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.9"
6.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.0"
5.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.9"
4.9 days with precipitation
Wheat Ridge spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 30% of the annual total and December through February 12%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Wheat Ridge has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 40.9°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 2.6" and December 0.6". The three wettest months together take 40% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
Wheat Ridge is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 87 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 24% of the calendar, and they carry 17.1" between them. At roughly 0.20 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is May at about 10 wet days; the driest is December at about 5.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Winter brings real snow to Wheat Ridge
Wheat Ridge averages 75.5 inches of snowfall a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 38 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 75.5 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 38 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 44% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 5
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 5
50% probability date
Growing Season
153 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,926
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
593
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CO closest to Wheat Ridge 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 (50°F here).
- Bedford, IA 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Boulder, UT 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Central City, NE 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Chatham, MA 50°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (17.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Bisbee, AZ 17.1" · 0.0" off
- Sedona, AZ 17.1" · 0.0" off
- Bowman, ND 17.1" · 0.0" off
- Morgan, UT 17.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Wheat Ridge
heating led · dry · mid swing
Wheat Ridge's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,926 annual heating degree days against 593 for cooling. Its 40.9°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Wheat Ridge's frost-free season lasts about 153 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Wheat Ridge coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 32°F (0°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Wheat Ridge typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Wheat Ridge snow peak
March
Wheat Ridge averages 75.5 inches of snow a year, with March the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Wheat Ridge's climate
How much snow does Wheat Ridge get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Wheat Ridge get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Wheat Ridge? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Wheat Ridge's primary station: WHEAT RIDGE 2 (USC00058995). 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 0884440). Match rule for Wheat Ridge: 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 Wheat Ridge 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.