Photo: Elisa.rolle · CC BY-SA 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Buena Vista: 11 inches a year
Expect July afternoons of about 82°. The wettest month is August; the driest is January. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 95% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from October to May, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Buena Vista at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Buena Vista’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Buena Vista’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Buena Vista feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 116 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 27 and the first by September 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Buena Vista 2s, CO, 0.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Buena Vista’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 49 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Buena Vista 2s, CO, falls mostly in February, March, April and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; August is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Buena Vista
98% 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 Buena Vista 2s, CO.
Living with Buena Vista’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
116 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 27 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 3.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Buena Vista from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (78%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Buena Vista and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Buena Vista yet.
Climates most like Buena Vista’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista, CO | 9° | 82° | 11" | 49" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| Watford City, ND | 4° | 84° | 16" | 50" |
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 Buena Vista averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 81% 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 Buena Vista compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Buena Vista’s place among Colorado’s.
Buena Vista weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Buena Vista’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Buena Vista 2s, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 9° | 0.4" | 6.2" | 4 | 12 | 17° – 30° |
| February | 41° | 12° | 0.5" | 7.4" | 5 | 10 | 21° – 33° |
| March | 49° | 19° | 0.7" | 8.2" | 6 | 5 | 29° – 40° |
| April | 56° | 25° | 1.1" | 8.1" | 7 | 3 | 35° – 46° |
| May | 66° | 34° | 1.2" | 3.2" | 7 | 1 | 44° – 54° |
| June | 77° | 42° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| July | 82° | 47° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| August | 79° | 45° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 66° |
| September | 73° | 38° | 1.0" | 0.4" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| October | 61° | 28° | 0.9" | 3.1" | 6 | 1 | 39° – 49° |
| November | 48° | 18° | 0.5" | 5.1" | 5 | 4 | 26° – 40° |
| December | 39° | 10° | 0.5" | 7.6" | 5 | 11 | 18° – 31° |
| Year | 59° | 27° | 10.7" | 49.3" | 84 | 46 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Buena Vista’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 Buena Vista’s center.
- Snow: Buena Vista 2s, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Buena Vista 2s, CO, 0.8 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 Buena Vista’s climate
What is the weather like in Buena Vista?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Buena Vista in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 208 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Buena Vista get?
About 49 inches in a normal winter at Buena Vista 2s, CO, most of it in February, March, April and December, with snow on the ground about 46 days a year.
How hot does it get in Buena Vista?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 47°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Buena Vista 2s, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Buena Vista?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 27 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 116 frost-free days, at Buena Vista 2s, CO.
What growing zone is Buena Vista in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Buena Vista?
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 Buena Vista getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Buena Vista.
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.