Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Crestone’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 59 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Crestone at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Crestone’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Crestone’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Crestone 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 26 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Crestone 2 Se, CO, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Crestone’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. 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 59 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Crestone 2 Se, CO, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 86 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Crestone
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Crestone 2 Se, CO.
Living with Crestone’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
120 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 26 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Crestone from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Crestone and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Crestone yet.
Climates most like Crestone’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crestone, CO | 9° | 81° | 12" | 59" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
| Minot, ND | 2° | 82° | 17" | 52" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
| Great Falls, MT | 13° | 84° | 13" | 66" |
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 Crestone averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 59% 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 Crestone compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Crestone’s place among Colorado’s.
Crestone weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Crestone’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Crestone 2 Se, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 9° | 0.5" | 8.0" | 5 | 23 | 14° – 30° |
| February | 40° | 13° | 0.5" | 7.7" | 5 | 20 | 21° – 34° |
| March | 50° | 21° | 0.9" | 9.3" | 6 | 9 | 32° – 41° |
| April | 57° | 27° | 1.1" | 10.8" | 7 | 2 | 37° – 47° |
| May | 66° | 35° | 1.1" | 2.5" | 8 | 1 | 45° – 56° |
| June | 77° | 44° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| July | 81° | 49° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 61° – 68° |
| August | 78° | 47° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 66° |
| September | 72° | 40° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| October | 61° | 29° | 0.9" | 3.9" | 6 | 1 | 40° – 50° |
| November | 47° | 19° | 0.6" | 7.0" | 5 | 5 | 25° – 41° |
| December | 36° | 9° | 0.5" | 9.4" | 6 | 21 | 17° – 31° |
| Year | 58° | 29° | 11.8" | 58.6" | 86 | 82 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 41°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Crestone’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 Crestone’s center.
- Snow: Crestone 2 Se, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Crestone 2 Se, CO, 1.1 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher; 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 Crestone’s climate
What is the weather like in Crestone?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 59 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Crestone in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 201 nights a year reach 32° or below and 14 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Crestone get?
About 59 inches in a normal winter at Crestone 2 Se, CO, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 82 days a year.
How hot does it get in Crestone?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 49°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Crestone 2 Se, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Crestone?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 26 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 120 frost-free days, at Crestone 2 Se, CO.
What growing zone is Crestone in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Crestone?
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 Crestone getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 59% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Crestone.
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.