Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Alpine
Expect July afternoons of about 78°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 97% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.4° higher. The outdoor season, with highs of 76–78°, runs through July and August.
A year in Alpine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alpine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alpine’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Alpine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 123 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 23 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from Del Norte 3ene, CO, 15 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alpine’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Monte Vista 2w, CO, falls mostly in January and March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 65 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alpine
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Del Norte 3ene, CO.
Living with Alpine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
123 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 23 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alpine from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (65%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alpine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alpine yet.
Climates most like Alpine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine, CO | 0° | 78° | 10" | 35" |
| Minot, ND | 2° | 82° | 17" | 52" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
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 Alpine averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 56% 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 Alpine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alpine’s place among Colorado’s.
Alpine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alpine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Monte Vista 2w, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 0° | 0.5" | 6.0" | 4 | 21 | 11° – 24° |
| February | 37° | 5° | 0.5" | 4.5" | 4 | 16 | 16° – 28° |
| March | 47° | 15° | 0.6" | 6.5" | 4 | 6 | 26° – 37° |
| April | 55° | 23° | 0.7" | 4.8" | 4 | 2 | 34° – 43° |
| May | 64° | 30° | 0.8" | 1.2" | 5 | 0 | 42° – 51° |
| June | 74° | 36° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| July | 78° | 43° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 64° |
| August | 76° | 42° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 61° |
| September | 70° | 35° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 56° |
| October | 60° | 24° | 1.0" | 2.8" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 46° |
| November | 46° | 13° | 0.6" | 3.9" | 3 | 4 | 22° – 38° |
| December | 35° | 1° | 0.6" | 5.7" | 4 | 14 | 13° – 26° |
| Year | 56° | 22° | 10.1" | 35.4" | 65 | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Alpine’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 Alpine’s center.
- Snow: Monte Vista 2w, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Del Norte 3ene, CO, 15 miles from the town’s center, 480 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Alpine’s climate
What is the weather like in Alpine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 0°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 47 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alpine in winter?
January nights average 0°. About 213 nights a year reach 32° or below and 22 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 11°.
How much snow does Alpine get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Monte Vista 2w, CO, most of it in January and March, with snow on the ground about 64 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alpine?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Del Norte 3ene, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Alpine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 23 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 123 frost-free days, at Del Norte 3ene, CO.
What growing zone is Alpine in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alpine?
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 Alpine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alpine.
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.