Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0De Beque’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in De Beque at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about De Beque’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with De Beque’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in De Beque feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 190 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Palisade, CO, 16 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts De Beque’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Palisade, CO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; October is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 65 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in De Beque
80% 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 Palisade, CO.
Living with De Beque’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
190 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 17 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 1.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in De Beque from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →De Beque and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around De Beque yet.
Climates most like De Beque’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Beque, CO | 16° | 92° | 11" | 13" |
| Aztec, NM | 18° | 91° | 10" | 11" |
| Richfield, UT | 16° | 90° | 11" | 18" |
| Snowflake, AZ | 20° | 90° | 10" | 13" |
| Johnson Lane, NV | 22° | 91° | 10" | 14" |
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 De Beque averaged 2.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 98% 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 De Beque compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with De Beque’s place among Colorado’s.
De Beque weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at De Beque’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Palisade, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 16° | 0.7" | 4.1" | 5 | 3 | 21° – 35° |
| February | 46° | 22° | 0.7" | 2.5" | 5 | 2 | 29° – 40° |
| March | 57° | 30° | 1.0" | 1.2" | 6 | 1 | 39° – 49° |
| April | 64° | 35° | 1.2" | 0.4" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| May | 75° | 44° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| June | 87° | 52° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| July | 92° | 59° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| August | 89° | 57° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 81° | 48° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| October | 67° | 36° | 1.4" | 0.3" | 6 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| November | 52° | 26° | 0.8" | 1.0" | 5 | 1 | 31° – 46° |
| December | 39° | 16° | 0.7" | 3.4" | 5 | 2 | 21° – 34° |
| Year | 66° | 37° | 11.3" | 12.9" | 65 | 8 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 46°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where De Beque’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 De Beque’s center.
- Snow: Palisade, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Palisade, CO, 16 miles from the town’s center, 200 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 De Beque’s climate
What is the weather like in De Beque?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in De Beque in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 119 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does De Beque get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Palisade, CO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in De Beque?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 59°. About 60 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Palisade, CO).
When is the first and last frost in De Beque?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 190 frost-free days, at Palisade, CO.
What growing zone is De Beque in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit De Beque?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is De Beque getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in De Beque.
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.