Photo: Photolitherland Chris Litherland · CC BY-SA 3.0Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Cañon City: 13 inches a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 19°. Only 72° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 79% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 4; autumn frost returns near October 7.
A year in Cañon City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cañon City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cañon City’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Cañon City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 153 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Canon City, CO, 1.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cañon City’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Canon City, CO, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 81 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cañon City
88% 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 Canon City, CO.
Living with Cañon City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
153 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 4 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 11 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cañon City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (84%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cañon City and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Cañon City in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cañon City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cañon City, CO | 19° | 90° | 13" | 38" |
| Tremonton, UT | 17° | 91° | 15" | 40" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Cañon City averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 79% 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 Cañon City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cañon City’s place among Colorado’s.
Cañon City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cañon City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Canon City, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 19° | 0.4" | 6.7" | 4 | 5 | 26° – 38° |
| February | 50° | 21° | 0.5" | 6.2" | 5 | 5 | 30° – 43° |
| March | 59° | 28° | 0.9" | 6.0" | 6 | 3 | 39° – 50° |
| April | 66° | 34° | 1.6" | 4.1" | 7 | 1 | 45° – 55° |
| May | 75° | 44° | 1.4" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| June | 86° | 53° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| July | 90° | 59° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| August | 88° | 57° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 81° | 49° | 1.1" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| October | 69° | 36° | 0.8" | 3.3" | 5 | 1 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 57° | 27° | 0.5" | 5.1" | 5 | 3 | 34° – 49° |
| December | 48° | 19° | 0.4" | 6.2" | 4 | 7 | 28° – 38° |
| Year | 68° | 37° | 12.6" | 38.3" | 81 | 26 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 49°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cañon City’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 Cañon City’s center.
- Snow: Canon City, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Canon City, CO, 1.3 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 Cañon City’s climate
What is the weather like in Cañon City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cañon City in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 144 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Cañon City get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Canon City, CO, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 26 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cañon City?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 59°. About 43 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Canon City, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Cañon City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 153 frost-free days, at Canon City, CO.
What growing zone is Cañon City in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cañon City?
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 Cañon City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 79% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cañon City.
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.