Dumont School · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0Downieville-Lawson-Dumont gets about 214 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 9 U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 76°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 98% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.3° above 1901–2000. Garden planting can start around May 30; autumn frost returns near September 19.
A year in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 112 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 30 and the first by September 19. Frost and day counts come from Georgetown, CO, 7 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’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 214 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Winter Park, CO, falls mostly in January, February, March, April and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; April is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont
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 Georgetown, CO.
Living with Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
112 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 30 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (67%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Downieville-Lawson-Dumont and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Downieville-Lawson-Dumont yet.
Climates most like Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downieville-Lawson-Dumont, CO | 8° | 76° | 23" | 214" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Snyderville, UT | 18° | 80° | 26" | 153" |
| South Lake Tahoe, CA | 22° | 81° | 19" | 179" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
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 Downieville-Lawson-Dumont averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 52% 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 Downieville-Lawson-Dumont compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’s place among Colorado’s.
Downieville-Lawson-Dumont weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Winter Park, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 8° | 1.4" | 33.2" | 13 | 31 | 16° – 28° |
| February | 37° | 9° | 1.5" | 30.8" | 11 | 29 | 18° – 30° |
| March | 43° | 16° | 2.4" | 31.9" | 11 | 30 | 25° – 36° |
| April | 50° | 22° | 3.1" | 31.5" | 11 | 25 | 31° – 42° |
| May | 59° | 30° | 2.6" | 11.2" | 10 | 8 | 39° – 49° |
| June | 71° | 37° | 1.5" | 1.0" | 7 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| July | 76° | 43° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| August | 74° | 41° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| September | 67° | 34° | 1.6" | 1.3" | 9 | 1 | 45° – 55° |
| October | 55° | 25° | 1.6" | 14.2" | 8 | 8 | 34° – 45° |
| November | 43° | 16° | 1.4" | 26.8" | 11 | 24 | 21° – 37° |
| December | 35° | 9° | 1.4" | 32.1" | 12 | 31 | 16° – 26° |
| Year | 54° | 24° | 22.7" | 214.0" | 124 | 186 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 37°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’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 Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’s center.
- Snow: Winter Park, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Georgetown, CO, 7 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft higher; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Downieville-Lawson-Dumont’s climate
What is the weather like in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont?
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 214 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 210 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Downieville-Lawson-Dumont get?
About 214 inches in a normal winter at Winter Park, CO, most of it in January, February, March, April and December, with snow on the ground about 186 days a year.
How hot does it get in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont?
July, with a typical high of 76°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Georgetown, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 30 and the first fall frost by September 19, about 112 frost-free days, at Georgetown, CO.
What growing zone is Downieville-Lawson-Dumont 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 Downieville-Lawson-Dumont?
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 Downieville-Lawson-Dumont getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont.
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.