Lowry Ruin · Photo: Gloria Wadzinski · CC BY-SA 4.0Dove Creek is drier than 94% of U.S. towns: 14 inches of precipitation a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 15° on average. In January, nights here are colder than in 83% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 2.0° above 1901–2000. The outdoor season, with highs of 75–83°, runs through June, August and September.
A year in Dove Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dove Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dove Creek’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Dove Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 152 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dove Creek, CO, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dove Creek’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 64 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Monticello 2e, UT, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 76 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dove Creek
93% 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 Dove Creek, CO.
Living with Dove Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
152 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 11 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dove Creek from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dove Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dove Creek yet.
Climates most like Dove 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dove Creek, CO | 15° | 86° | 14" | 64" |
| Cheyenne, WY | 16° | 85° | 15" | 65" |
| Livingston, MT | 17° | 85° | 14" | 63" |
| Pocatello, ID | 19° | 87° | 15" | 64" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
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 Dove Creek averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 91% 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 Dove Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dove Creek’s place among Colorado’s.
Dove Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dove Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Monticello 2e, UT. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 15° | 1.3" | 13.4" | 6 | 19 | 20° – 35° |
| February | 43° | 19° | 1.2" | 13.5" | 6 | 13 | 26° – 39° |
| March | 51° | 26° | 1.1" | 7.4" | 6 | 8 | 34° – 43° |
| April | 59° | 31° | 0.9" | 6.1" | 6 | 1 | 40° – 50° |
| May | 69° | 39° | 1.1" | 1.1" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| June | 81° | 47° | 0.5" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| July | 86° | 54° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| August | 83° | 53° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 75° | 45° | 1.4" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 63° |
| October | 63° | 34° | 1.4" | 1.3" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 53° |
| November | 49° | 24° | 1.0" | 7.3" | 5 | 4 | 29° – 43° |
| December | 39° | 16° | 1.3" | 13.9" | 6 | 14 | 21° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 34° | 14.3" | 64.2" | 76 | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 35°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dove 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 Dove Creek’s center.
- Snow: Monticello 2e, UT.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dove Creek, CO, 0.2 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 Dove Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Dove Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dove Creek in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 160 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Dove Creek get?
About 64 inches in a normal winter at Monticello 2e, UT, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 58 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dove Creek?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 54°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Dove Creek, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Dove Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 152 frost-free days, at Dove Creek, CO.
What growing zone is Dove Creek in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dove Creek?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dove Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dove 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.