Johnson Stage Station · Photo: John Sowell · CC BY-SA 4.0Cathedral sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
High summer brings afternoon highs near 75°. August is the wettest month, June the driest. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about June 8; in half of years the first frost comes by September 17.
A year in Cathedral at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cathedral’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cathedral’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Cathedral feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 101 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 8 and the first by September 17. Frost and day counts come from Lake City, CO, 16 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cathedral’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −21°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 55 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hermit 8 Se, CO, is heaviest from February through March, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 76 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cathedral
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 Lake City, CO.
Living with Cathedral’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
101 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by Jun 8 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 10 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cathedral from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (76%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cathedral and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cathedral yet.
Climates most like Cathedral’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathedral, CO | 1° | 75° | 20" | 55" |
| Bemidji, MN | −3° | 79° | 26" | 49" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
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 Cathedral averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Cathedral compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cathedral’s place among Colorado’s.
Cathedral weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cathedral’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hermit 8 Se, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 1° | 1.4" | 9.0" | 4 | 10° – 22° |
| February | 35° | 4° | 1.6" | 10.1" | 5 | 15° – 27° |
| March | 43° | 13° | 1.7" | 9.6" | 5 | 24° – 33° |
| April | 50° | 21° | 1.8" | 5.7" | 5 | 31° – 41° |
| May | 60° | 29° | 1.6" | 1.3" | 4 | 39° – 49° |
| June | 71° | 36° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 49° – 58° |
| July | 75° | 42° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 55° – 63° |
| August | 73° | 41° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 54° – 61° |
| September | 67° | 34° | 2.0" | 0.2" | 9 | 46° – 54° |
| October | 56° | 24° | 1.7" | 3.8" | 5 | 35° – 45° |
| November | 43° | 13° | 1.6" | 8.1" | 4 | 20° – 35° |
| December | 32° | 2° | 1.4" | 7.2" | 4 | 12° – 24° |
| Year | 53° | 22° | 19.7" | 55.0" | 76 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 35°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cathedral’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 Cathedral’s center.
- Snow: Hermit 8 Se, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lake City, CO, 16 miles from the town’s center, 890 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Cathedral’s climate
What is the weather like in Cathedral?
A typical July afternoon reaches 75°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 55 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 56 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cathedral in winter?
January nights average 1°. About 224 nights a year reach 32° or below and 39 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Cathedral get?
About 55 inches in a normal winter at Hermit 8 Se, CO, heaviest from February through March, about 10 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Cathedral?
July, with a typical high of 75°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Lake City, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Cathedral?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 8 and the first fall frost by September 17, about 101 frost-free days, at Lake City, CO.
What growing zone is Cathedral in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cathedral?
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 Cathedral getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cathedral.
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.