Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Blue River gets about 185 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 26 U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 70°. 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. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 16, with the first autumn frost due around September 9.
A year in Blue River at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Blue River’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Blue River’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Blue River 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 dates and degree days from Fairplay S Park Rd, CO, 16 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Blue River’s center in zone 5a: 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 185 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Breckenridge, CO, is heaviest from January through April, about 28 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; April is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 136 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Blue River
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
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 Blue River’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
83 frost-free days in zone 5a. 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. 4.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Blue River from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (88%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Blue River and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Blue River yet.
Climates most like Blue River’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue River, CO | 10° | 70° | 20" | 185" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Palmer, AK | 9° | 66° | 18" | 83" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
| Snyderville, UT | 18° | 80° | 26" | 153" |
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 Blue River averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Blue River compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Blue River’s place among Colorado’s.
Blue River weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Blue River’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Breckenridge, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 10° | 1.4" | 27.7" | 13 | 31 | 15° – 25° |
| February | 32° | 11° | 1.5" | 27.7" | 12 | 29 | 17° – 28° |
| March | 39° | 16° | 1.8" | 27.6" | 13 | 31 | 23° – 34° |
| April | 45° | 22° | 2.3" | 28.0" | 13 | 25 | 29° – 38° |
| May | 54° | 31° | 1.9" | 9.5" | 10 | 4 | 38° – 47° |
| June | 65° | 38° | 1.1" | 0.8" | 8 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| July | 70° | 44° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 60° |
| August | 67° | 43° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 52° – 59° |
| September | 61° | 36° | 1.5" | 2.2" | 10 | 1 | 44° – 53° |
| October | 49° | 27° | 1.5" | 13.6" | 9 | 7 | 32° – 43° |
| November | 38° | 17° | 1.3" | 23.7" | 10 | 24 | 19° – 35° |
| December | 30° | 10° | 1.3" | 23.8" | 11 | 29 | 15° – 25° |
| Year | 48° | 25° | 20.1" | 184.6" | 136 | 179 |
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°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Blue River’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 Blue River’s center.
- Snow: Breckenridge, CO.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Fairplay S Park Rd, CO, 16 miles away.
- 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 Blue River’s climate
What is the weather like in Blue River?
A typical July afternoon reaches 70°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 185 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 81 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Blue River in winter?
January nights average 10°. 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 15°.
How much snow does Blue River get?
About 185 inches in a normal winter at Breckenridge, CO, heaviest from January through April, about 28 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 179 days a year.
How hot does it get in Blue River?
July, with a typical high of 70°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Fairplay S Park Rd, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Blue River?
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 Blue River in?
Zone 5a 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 Blue River?
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 Blue River getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Blue River.
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.