Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Cheraw is among the driest of U.S. towns: 13 inches of precipitation a year
July afternoons average 94°. A year here swings 78° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 93% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Cheraw at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cheraw’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cheraw’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Cheraw feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 163 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cheraw 1 N, CO, 0.5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cheraw’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cheraw 1 N, CO, falls mostly in February. 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 52 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cheraw
84% of the work is heating. 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 Cheraw 1 N, CO.
Living with Cheraw’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
163 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cheraw from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cheraw and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cheraw yet.
Climates most like Cheraw’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheraw, CO | 16° | 94° | 13" | 14" |
| Bloomfield, NM | 18° | 93° | 8" | 11" |
| Weiser, ID | 22° | 94° | 13" | 15" |
| Winnemucca, NV | 21° | 93° | 8" | 22" |
| Hooper, UT | 21° | 92° | 14" | 23" |
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 Cheraw averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
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 Cheraw compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cheraw’s place among Colorado’s.
Cheraw weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cheraw’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cheraw 1 N, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 16° | 0.3" | 2.9" | 2 | 1 | 17° – 37° |
| February | 51° | 20° | 0.3" | 3.7" | 3 | 4 | 26° – 43° |
| March | 61° | 28° | 0.8" | 1.8" | 4 | 1 | 39° – 50° |
| April | 69° | 36° | 1.3" | 0.6" | 5 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 78° | 46° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| June | 89° | 57° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| July | 94° | 62° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| August | 91° | 60° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| September | 84° | 51° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| October | 71° | 37° | 0.9" | 0.5" | 4 | 0 | 46° – 59° |
| November | 57° | 25° | 0.4" | 1.7" | 2 | 1 | 33° – 47° |
| December | 47° | 17° | 0.3" | 2.9" | 3 | 2 | 23° – 36° |
| Year | 70° | 38° | 12.6" | 14.1" | 52 | 10 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 37°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Cheraw’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 Cheraw’s center.
- Snow: Cheraw 1 N, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cheraw 1 N, CO, 0.5 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 Cheraw’s climate
What is the weather like in Cheraw?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cheraw in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 167 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Cheraw get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Cheraw 1 N, CO, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 10 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cheraw?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 62°. About 66 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Cheraw 1 N, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Cheraw?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 163 frost-free days, at Cheraw 1 N, CO.
What growing zone is Cheraw in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cheraw?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cheraw 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 Cheraw.
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.