Photo: The original uploader was Nationalparks at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5Divide gets about 134 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 92 U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 75°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 65°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 98% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to May, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Divide at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Divide’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Divide’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Divide 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. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Divide 4nw, CO, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Divide’s center in zone 5b: 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 134 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ruxton Park, CO, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; July is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 105 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Divide
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Divide 4nw, CO.
Living with Divide’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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Divide from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Divide and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Divide yet.
Climates most like Divide’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divide, CO | 10° | 75° | 19" | 134" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| Snyderville, UT | 18° | 80° | 26" | 153" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
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 Divide averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 81% 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 Divide compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Divide’s place among Colorado’s.
Divide weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Divide’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ruxton Park, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 10° | 0.8" | 12.5" | 5 | 27 | 16° – 30° |
| February | 38° | 11° | 0.9" | 13.6" | 6 | 21 | 18° – 32° |
| March | 45° | 17° | 1.4" | 26.2" | 7 | 21 | 27° – 37° |
| April | 50° | 23° | 2.1" | 32.3" | 9 | 16 | 31° – 42° |
| May | 60° | 31° | 2.1" | 9.6" | 10 | 5 | 39° – 50° |
| June | 71° | 40° | 1.6" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| July | 75° | 45° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| August | 72° | 44° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 55° – 62° |
| September | 67° | 37° | 1.6" | 1.8" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| October | 56° | 27° | 1.0" | 10.4" | 6 | 3 | 35° – 46° |
| November | 45° | 18° | 0.9" | 12.6" | 5 | 13 | 23° – 38° |
| December | 37° | 10° | 0.8" | 14.1" | 5 | 23 | 17° – 29° |
| Year | 54° | 26° | 19.1" | 133.5" | 105 | 129 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 38°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Divide’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 Divide’s center.
- Snow: Ruxton Park, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Divide 4nw, CO, 3 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 Divide’s climate
What is the weather like in Divide?
A typical July afternoon reaches 75°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 134 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Divide in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 216 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Divide get?
About 134 inches in a normal winter at Ruxton Park, CO, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 129 days a year.
How hot does it get in Divide?
July, with a typical high of 75°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Divide 4nw, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Divide?
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 Divide in?
Zone 5b 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 Divide?
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 Divide getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Divide.
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.