Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0Blanca sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 12 inches a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 82°. Its January nights bite harder than in 96% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. The outdoor season runs from June to August, with highs of 79–82°.
A year in Blanca at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Blanca’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Blanca’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Blanca feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 117 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 25 and the first by September 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Blanca 4 Nw, CO, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Blanca’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 48 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Great Sand Dunes Np & Preserve, CO, falls mostly in January, March and April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Blanca
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Blanca 4 Nw, CO.
Living with Blanca’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
117 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 25 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 12 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Blanca from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Blanca and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Blanca yet.
Climates most like Blanca’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanca, CO | 8° | 82° | 12" | 48" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
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 Blanca averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 73% 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 Blanca compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Blanca’s place among Colorado’s.
Blanca weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Blanca’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Great Sand Dunes Np & Preserve, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 8° | 0.5" | 8.1" | 5 | 15° – 30° |
| February | 42° | 13° | 0.4" | 6.2" | 5 | 21° – 35° |
| March | 51° | 21° | 0.7" | 8.5" | 6 | 33° – 42° |
| April | 59° | 27° | 0.9" | 7.9" | 6 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 68° | 35° | 1.1" | 1.7" | 7 | 47° – 57° |
| June | 79° | 44° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 57° – 66° |
| July | 82° | 49° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 62° – 69° |
| August | 79° | 47° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 61° – 67° |
| September | 73° | 40° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 51° – 60° |
| October | 62° | 29° | 0.9" | 2.8" | 5 | 41° – 50° |
| November | 49° | 18° | 0.6" | 5.6" | 4 | 26° – 41° |
| December | 38° | 9° | 0.5" | 7.0" | 5 | 17° – 31° |
| Year | 60° | 28° | 11.5" | 47.8" | 78 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 30°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Blanca’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 Blanca’s center.
- Snow: Great Sand Dunes Np & Preserve, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Blanca 4 Nw, CO, 4 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 Blanca’s climate
What is the weather like in Blanca?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Blanca in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 215 nights a year reach 32° or below and 31 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Blanca get?
About 48 inches in a normal winter at Great Sand Dunes Np & Preserve, CO, most of it in January, March and April.
How hot does it get in Blanca?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 49°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Blanca 4 Nw, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Blanca?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 25 and the first fall frost by September 22, about 117 frost-free days, at Blanca 4 Nw, CO.
What growing zone is Blanca in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Blanca?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Blanca getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Blanca.
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.