Photo: DrunkDriver · Public domainAlma gets about 157 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 51 U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 71°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.2° higher. Tender plants can go out after about June 16; in half of years the first frost comes by September 9.
A year in Alma at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alma’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alma’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Alma feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 83 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 16 and the first by September 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fairplay S Park Rd, CO, 6 miles from the town’s center, 480 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alma’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 157 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Leadville Lake Co Airport, falls mostly in April and November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alma
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55°: every month but July.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Fairplay S Park Rd, CO.
Living with Alma’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
83 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 16 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 2.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alma from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alma and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alma yet.
Climates most like Alma’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma, CO | 8° | 71° | 18" | 157" |
| Palmer, AK | 9° | 66° | 18" | 83" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| Snyderville, UT | 18° | 80° | 26" | 153" |
| Hermantown, MN | 2° | 77° | 31" | 90" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alma averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 62% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Alma compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alma’s place among Colorado’s.
Alma weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alma’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Leadville Lake Co Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 8° | 1.1" | 18.8" | 11 | 14° – 25° |
| February | 33° | 9° | 1.2" | 20.1" | 11 | 16° – 27° |
| March | 40° | 16° | 1.5" | 21.1" | 11 | 23° – 34° |
| April | 45° | 22° | 1.9" | 26.6" | 12 | 29° – 39° |
| May | 55° | 30° | 1.7" | 11.8" | 9 | 38° – 48° |
| June | 66° | 38° | 1.0" | 0.8" | 6 | 47° – 57° |
| July | 71° | 42° | 2.1" | 0.2" | 12 | 52° – 60° |
| August | 68° | 41° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 51° – 59° |
| September | 62° | 35° | 1.4" | 1.0" | 9 | 43° – 53° |
| October | 50° | 25° | 1.3" | 13.8" | 8 | 32° – 43° |
| November | 39° | 16° | 1.1" | 25.1" | 9 | 19° – 35° |
| December | 31° | 9° | 1.1" | 17.6" | 10 | 14° – 25° |
| Year | 49° | 24° | 17.5" | 156.9" | 121 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 35°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Alma’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Alma’s center.
- Snow: Leadville Lake Co Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fairplay S Park Rd, CO, 6 miles from the town’s center, 480 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Alma’s climate
What is the weather like in Alma?
A typical July afternoon reaches 71°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 157 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 89 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alma in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 236 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Alma get?
About 157 inches in a normal winter at Leadville Lake Co Airport, most of it in April and November.
How hot does it get in Alma?
July, with a typical high of 71°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Fairplay S Park Rd, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Alma?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 16 and the first fall frost by September 9, about 83 frost-free days, at Fairplay S Park Rd, CO.
What growing zone is Alma in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alma?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alma getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alma.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.