Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0Dolores’ winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Dolores at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dolores’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dolores’ place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Dolores feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Yellow Jacket 4ne, CO, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dolores’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. 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 70 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dolores, CO, is heaviest from January through February, about 16 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 91 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dolores
94% 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 Yellow Jacket 4ne, CO.
Living with Dolores’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
147 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 15 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 1.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dolores from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dolores and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dolores yet.
Climates most like Dolores’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolores, CO | 17° | 83° | 19" | 70" |
| Whitefish, MT | 17° | 82° | 18" | 63" |
| Ranchettes, WY | 16° | 85° | 16" | 65" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
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 Dolores averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 83% 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 Dolores compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dolores’ place among Colorado’s.
Dolores weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dolores’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dolores, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 17° | 1.9" | 15.6" | 8 | 21° – 35° |
| February | 42° | 20° | 1.8" | 15.4" | 8 | 26° – 38° |
| March | 50° | 26° | 1.6" | 9.7" | 8 | 33° – 43° |
| April | 57° | 31° | 1.4" | 6.5" | 7 | 40° – 48° |
| May | 67° | 39° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 7 | 48° – 57° |
| June | 78° | 47° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 83° | 54° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 64° – 72° |
| August | 80° | 53° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 73° | 46° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 54° – 63° |
| October | 61° | 35° | 1.7" | 2.5" | 8 | 44° – 52° |
| November | 49° | 25° | 1.5" | 9.8" | 7 | 30° – 44° |
| December | 39° | 18° | 1.6" | 9.9" | 6 | 22° – 34° |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 18.7" | 69.7" | 91 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 35°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dolores’ 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 Dolores’ center.
- Snow: Dolores, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Yellow Jacket 4ne, CO, 11 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 Dolores’ climate
What is the weather like in Dolores?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dolores in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 160 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Dolores get?
About 70 inches in a normal winter at Dolores, CO, heaviest from January through February, about 16 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Dolores?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 54°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Yellow Jacket 4ne, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Dolores?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 147 frost-free days, at Yellow Jacket 4ne, CO.
What growing zone is Dolores in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dolores?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dolores getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dolores.
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.