Photo: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Copper Mountain gets about 295 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 1 U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 67°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. The latest 30-year average runs 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. For walks and days out, July and August bring highs of 65–67°.
A year in Copper Mountain at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Copper Mountain’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Copper Mountain’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Copper Mountain feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 269 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 54 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Climax, CO, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Copper Mountain’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 295 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Climax, CO, falls mostly in January, March and April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; April is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 151 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Copper Mountain
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from every month of the year.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Climax, CO.
Living with Copper Mountain’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 5a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 61 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 47 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Copper Mountain from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (88%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Copper Mountain and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Copper Mountain yet.
Climates most like Copper Mountain’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Mountain, CO | 8° | 67° | 30" | 295" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
| Hanover, NY | 17° | 80° | 42" | 208" |
| Morristown, VT | 7° | 78° | 43" | 139" |
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 Copper Mountain averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 53% 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 Copper Mountain compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Copper Mountain’s place among Colorado’s.
Copper Mountain weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Copper Mountain’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Climax, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 8° | 3.0" | 44.5" | 15 | 31 | 12° – 23° |
| February | 30° | 8° | 2.9" | 40.5" | 15 | 29 | 15° – 26° |
| March | 38° | 14° | 3.1" | 42.5" | 14 | 31 | 21° – 32° |
| April | 43° | 20° | 3.8" | 46.6" | 14 | 30 | 27° – 36° |
| May | 52° | 29° | 2.5" | 18.9" | 10 | 23 | 36° – 45° |
| June | 62° | 37° | 1.3" | 2.4" | 7 | 3 | 46° – 54° |
| July | 67° | 42° | 2.1" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 58° |
| August | 65° | 41° | 2.2" | 0.1" | 16 | 0 | 50° – 57° |
| September | 58° | 35° | 1.9" | 4.2" | 11 | 2 | 41° – 51° |
| October | 47° | 25° | 2.0" | 22.4" | 9 | 13 | 30° – 41° |
| November | 35° | 15° | 2.6" | 33.9" | 12 | 28 | 17° – 33° |
| December | 27° | 8° | 2.6" | 38.5" | 15 | 31 | 13° – 22° |
| Year | 46° | 23° | 29.8" | 294.7" | 151 | 219 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 33°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Copper Mountain’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 Copper Mountain’s center.
- Snow: Climax, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Climax, CO, 8 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 Copper Mountain’s climate
What is the weather like in Copper Mountain?
A typical July afternoon reaches 67°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 295 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 48 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Copper Mountain in winter?
December nights average 8°. About 269 nights a year reach 32° or below and 54 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Copper Mountain get?
About 295 inches in a normal winter at Climax, CO, most of it in January, March and April, with snow on the ground about 219 days a year.
How hot does it get in Copper Mountain?
July, with a typical high of 67°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Climax, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Copper Mountain?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Climax, CO, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 269 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 61 days.
What growing zone is Copper Mountain in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Copper Mountain?
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 Copper Mountain getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Copper Mountain.
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.