Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Battlement Mesa’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Battlement Mesa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Battlement Mesa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Battlement Mesa’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Battlement Mesa feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 143 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rifle Garfield Co Airport, 16 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Battlement Mesa’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Altenbern, CO, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Battlement Mesa
91% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Rifle Garfield Co Airport.
Living with Battlement Mesa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
143 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 11 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 5.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Battlement Mesa from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Battlement Mesa and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Battlement Mesa yet.
Climates most like Battlement Mesa’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battlement Mesa, CO | 14° | 91° | 13" | 54" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Cedar City, UT | 18° | 91° | 11" | 60" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 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 Battlement Mesa averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 84% 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 Battlement Mesa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Battlement Mesa’s place among Colorado’s.
Battlement Mesa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Battlement Mesa’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Altenbern, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 14° | 0.9" | 11.7" | 8 | 26 | 19° – 34° |
| February | 44° | 19° | 1.0" | 10.8" | 9 | 14 | 27° – 39° |
| March | 55° | 27° | 1.2" | 5.5" | 8 | 2 | 37° – 47° |
| April | 63° | 33° | 1.1" | 2.9" | 9 | 1 | 43° – 54° |
| May | 73° | 41° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| June | 85° | 49° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 91° | 56° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| August | 88° | 54° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 79° | 45° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| October | 66° | 34° | 1.5" | 1.6" | 7 | 1 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 51° | 24° | 0.9" | 6.1" | 7 | 4 | 29° – 44° |
| December | 38° | 14° | 1.0" | 15.2" | 8 | 18 | 19° – 32° |
| Year | 64° | 34° | 12.6" | 54.1" | 96 | 65 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 34°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Battlement Mesa’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 Battlement Mesa’s center.
- Snow: Altenbern, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rifle Garfield Co Airport, 16 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Battlement Mesa’s climate
What is the weather like in Battlement Mesa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Battlement Mesa in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 173 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Battlement Mesa get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at Altenbern, CO, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 65 days a year.
How hot does it get in Battlement Mesa?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 56°. About 54 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Rifle Garfield Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Battlement Mesa?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 143 frost-free days, at Rifle Garfield Co Airport.
What growing zone is Battlement Mesa in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Battlement Mesa?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Battlement Mesa getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Battlement Mesa.
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.