Como School · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0Fairplay gets about 157 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 51 U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 74°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.2° above 1901–2000. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 16, with the first autumn frost due around September 9.
A year in Fairplay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fairplay’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fairplay’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Fairplay feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 83 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 16 and the first by September 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fairplay S Park Rd, CO, 0.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fairplay’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 157 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Leadville Lake Co Airport, falls mostly in April and November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; August is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fairplay
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 Fairplay S Park Rd, CO.
Living with Fairplay’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
83 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 16 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fairplay from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fairplay and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fairplay yet.
Climates most like Fairplay’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairplay, CO | 7° | 74° | 16" | 157" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Snyderville, UT | 18° | 80° | 26" | 153" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Hermantown, MN | 2° | 77° | 31" | 90" |
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 Fairplay averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Fairplay compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fairplay’s place among Colorado’s.
Fairplay weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fairplay’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Leadville Lake Co Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 7° | 0.7" | 18.8" | 11 | 15° – 26° |
| February | 35° | 8° | 0.8" | 20.1" | 11 | 16° – 28° |
| March | 42° | 15° | 1.4" | 21.1" | 11 | 23° – 34° |
| April | 47° | 21° | 1.7" | 26.6" | 12 | 30° – 39° |
| May | 57° | 29° | 1.7" | 11.8" | 9 | 39° – 48° |
| June | 69° | 37° | 1.1" | 0.8" | 6 | 48° – 58° |
| July | 74° | 42° | 2.1" | 0.2" | 12 | 54° – 61° |
| August | 71° | 40° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 14 | 52° – 60° |
| September | 65° | 34° | 1.3" | 1.0" | 9 | 44° – 53° |
| October | 53° | 24° | 1.2" | 13.8" | 8 | 33° – 43° |
| November | 41° | 15° | 0.7" | 25.1" | 9 | 20° – 36° |
| December | 33° | 7° | 0.7" | 17.6" | 10 | 15° – 26° |
| Year | 52° | 23° | 15.6" | 156.9" | 121 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 36°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fairplay’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 Fairplay’s center.
- Snow: Leadville Lake Co Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fairplay S Park Rd, CO, 0.3 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 Fairplay’s climate
What is the weather like in Fairplay?
A typical July afternoon reaches 74°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 157 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 152 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fairplay in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 236 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Fairplay get?
About 157 inches in a normal winter at Leadville Lake Co Airport, most of it in April and November.
How hot does it get in Fairplay?
July, with a typical high of 74°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Fairplay S Park Rd, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Fairplay?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 16 and the first fall frost by September 9, about 83 frost-free days, at Fairplay S Park Rd, CO.
What growing zone is Fairplay 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 Fairplay?
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 Fairplay getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fairplay.
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.