Few U.S. towns get less rain and snow than Coaldale: 10 inches a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 82°. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 90% of U.S. towns. March has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.2° rise. Central heating does most of its work from October to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Coaldale at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Coaldale’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Coaldale’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Coaldale feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 89 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 11 and the first by September 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Westcliffe, CO, 24 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Coaldale’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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Salida, CO, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; August is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 57 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Coaldale
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 Westcliffe, CO.
Living with Coaldale’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
89 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 11 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 32 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Coaldale from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Coaldale and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Coaldale yet.
Climates most like Coaldale’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coaldale, CO | 13° | 82° | 10" | 37" |
| Helena Valley Northwest, MT | 15° | 85° | 11" | 37" |
| Cody, WY | 14° | 85° | 11" | 45" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
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 Coaldale averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Coaldale compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Coaldale’s place among Colorado’s.
Coaldale weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Coaldale’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Salida, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 13° | 0.3" | 4.0" | 2 | 19° – 32° |
| February | 42° | 16° | 0.3" | 4.1" | 2 | 23° – 35° |
| March | 50° | 24° | 0.7" | 6.5" | 4 | 32° – 42° |
| April | 57° | 29° | 0.8" | 8.0" | 5 | 37° – 47° |
| May | 67° | 37° | 1.0" | 2.7" | 5 | 47° – 57° |
| June | 77° | 46° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 57° – 66° |
| July | 82° | 51° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 63° – 70° |
| August | 79° | 50° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 61° – 67° |
| September | 73° | 42° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 52° – 62° |
| October | 61° | 32° | 0.7" | 2.6" | 5 | 40° – 51° |
| November | 48° | 22° | 0.4" | 4.1" | 3 | 28° – 42° |
| December | 39° | 13° | 0.4" | 4.7" | 3 | 21° – 32° |
| Year | 59° | 31° | 9.5" | 36.7" | 57 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 42°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Coaldale’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 Coaldale’s center.
- Snow: Salida, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Westcliffe, CO, 24 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 Coaldale’s climate
What is the weather like in Coaldale?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 84% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Coaldale in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 213 nights a year reach 32° or below and 26 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Coaldale get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Salida, CO, most of it in April.
How hot does it get in Coaldale?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 51°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Westcliffe, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Coaldale?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 11 and the first fall frost by September 9, about 89 frost-free days, at Westcliffe, CO.
What growing zone is Coaldale 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 Coaldale?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Coaldale getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Coaldale.
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.