Photo: David Shankbone · CC BY 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see fresher July days than Cripple Creek
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 9° on average. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in July and the lightest in December. Its January nights bite harder than in 95% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about June 1; in half of years the first frost comes by September 21.
A year in Cripple Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cripple Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cripple Creek’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Cripple Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 110 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by September 21. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cripple Creek 3nnw, CO, 3 miles from the town’s center, 350 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Divide 4nw, CO, 15 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cripple Creek’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 68 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Guffey 10 Se, CO, is heaviest from March through April, about 15 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; July is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cripple Creek
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Divide 4nw, CO.
Living with Cripple Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
110 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 1 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 4.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cripple Creek from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cripple Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cripple Creek yet.
Climates most like Cripple Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cripple Creek, CO | 9° | 74° | 20" | 68" |
| Superior, WI | 6° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Escanaba, MI | 11° | 77° | 30" | 47" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
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 Cripple Creek averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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 Cripple Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cripple Creek’s place among Colorado’s.
Cripple Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cripple Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Guffey 10 Se, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 9° | 0.8" | 6.4" | 3 | 15° – 29° |
| February | 38° | 11° | 1.0" | 6.9" | 3 | 18° – 31° |
| March | 44° | 17° | 1.2" | 14.8" | 6 | 26° – 37° |
| April | 50° | 23° | 1.9" | 14.4" | 7 | 31° – 41° |
| May | 59° | 31° | 2.3" | 3.3" | 8 | 39° – 50° |
| June | 71° | 39° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 50° – 60° |
| July | 74° | 45° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 56° – 63° |
| August | 72° | 43° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 54° – 61° |
| September | 66° | 37° | 1.8" | 0.5" | 7 | 46° – 56° |
| October | 55° | 27° | 1.2" | 5.7" | 5 | 35° – 46° |
| November | 44° | 17° | 0.9" | 10.0" | 4 | 22° – 37° |
| December | 36° | 10° | 0.7" | 5.9" | 2 | 17° – 28° |
| Year | 54° | 26° | 19.6" | 67.9" | 78 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 37°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cripple Creek’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 Cripple Creek’s center.
- Snow: Guffey 10 Se, CO.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Divide 4nw, CO, 15 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Cripple Creek 3nnw, CO, 3 miles from the town’s center, 350 ft lower; 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 Cripple Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Cripple Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 74°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 68 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 186 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cripple Creek in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 198 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Cripple Creek get?
About 68 inches in a normal winter at Guffey 10 Se, CO, heaviest from March through April, about 15 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Cripple Creek?
July, with a typical high of 74°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Divide 4nw, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Cripple Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by September 21, about 110 frost-free days, at Divide 4nw, CO.
What growing zone is Cripple Creek in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cripple Creek?
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 Cripple Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cripple Creek.
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.