Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0Center’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Center at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Center’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Center’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Center feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 120 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Center 4 Ssw, CO, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Center’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Center 4 Ssw, CO, falls mostly in March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 7 inches a year; August is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 53 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Center
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. 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 Center 4 Ssw, CO.
Living with Center’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
120 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 24 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Center from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Center and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Center yet.
Climates most like Center’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center, CO | 3° | 82° | 7" | 25" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Sidney, MT | 4° | 85° | 15" | 30" |
| Rock Springs, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 31" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
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 Center averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Center compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Center’s place among Colorado’s.
Center weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Center’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Center 4 Ssw, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 3° | 0.2" | 3.5" | 2 | 8° – 29° |
| February | 40° | 10° | 0.2" | 2.9" | 2 | 18° – 35° |
| March | 52° | 20° | 0.4" | 5.5" | 3 | 31° – 42° |
| April | 60° | 26° | 0.5" | 1.8" | 3 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 69° | 35° | 0.6" | 0.6" | 4 | 47° – 56° |
| June | 79° | 42° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 56° – 65° |
| July | 82° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 61° – 68° |
| August | 80° | 46° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 60° – 66° |
| September | 74° | 39° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 52° – 60° |
| October | 63° | 27° | 0.7" | 1.6" | 4 | 41° – 50° |
| November | 48° | 16° | 0.3" | 3.1" | 3 | 25° – 41° |
| December | 36° | 5° | 0.3" | 6.1" | 3 | 11° – 29° |
| Year | 60° | 27° | 7.2" | 25.1" | 53 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 8° to 29°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Center’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 Center’s center.
- Snow: Center 4 Ssw, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Center 4 Ssw, 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 Center’s climate
What is the weather like in Center?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 123 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Center in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 213 nights a year reach 32° or below and 36 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 8°.
How much snow does Center get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Center 4 Ssw, CO, most of it in March and December.
How hot does it get in Center?
July, with a typical high of 82°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Center 4 Ssw, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Center?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 120 frost-free days, at Center 4 Ssw, CO.
What growing zone is Center in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Center?
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 Center getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Center.
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.