Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Less rain and snow falls on El Moro than on 94% of U.S. towns: 14 inches a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 89°. Its July heat outdoes that of 73% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in El Moro at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about El Moro’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with El Moro’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in El Moro feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Trinidad, CO, 5 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts El Moro’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 55 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Trinidad, CO, falls mostly in March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in El Moro
85% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Trinidad, CO.
Living with El Moro’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 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 Oct 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in El Moro from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →El Moro and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around El Moro yet.
Climates most like El Moro’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Moro, CO | 18° | 89° | 14" | 55" |
| Billings, MT | 15° | 89° | 14" | 48" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Hyde Park, UT | 14° | 89° | 16" | 44" |
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 El Moro averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 53% 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 El Moro compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with El Moro’s place among Colorado’s.
El Moro weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at El Moro’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Trinidad, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 18° | 0.4" | 7.7" | 4 | 5 | 25° – 38° |
| February | 51° | 21° | 0.4" | 7.3" | 4 | 4 | 29° – 43° |
| March | 59° | 27° | 1.0" | 9.5" | 6 | 3 | 39° – 49° |
| April | 66° | 33° | 1.3" | 7.8" | 6 | 2 | 43° – 55° |
| May | 75° | 43° | 1.5" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| June | 86° | 52° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 89° | 57° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| August | 87° | 56° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| September | 80° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| October | 69° | 36° | 1.0" | 4.8" | 5 | 2 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 57° | 26° | 0.7" | 8.3" | 4 | 3 | 32° – 48° |
| December | 48° | 18° | 0.5" | 9.1" | 4 | 8 | 27° – 37° |
| Year | 68° | 36° | 13.9" | 55.1" | 72 | 25 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 48°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where El Moro’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 El Moro’s center.
- Snow: Trinidad, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Trinidad, CO, 5 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher; 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 El Moro’s climate
What is the weather like in El Moro?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 55 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 73% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in El Moro in winter?
December nights average 18°. About 146 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does El Moro get?
About 55 inches in a normal winter at Trinidad, CO, most of it in March and December, with snow on the ground about 25 days a year.
How hot does it get in El Moro?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 57°. About 37 days a year reach 90° (Trinidad, CO).
When is the first and last frost in El Moro?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 167 frost-free days, at Trinidad, CO.
What growing zone is El Moro in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit El Moro?
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 El Moro getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in El Moro.
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.