Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Fraser gets about 214 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 9 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 2°, and about 214 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Fraser at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fraser’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fraser’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Fraser feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 288 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 63 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fraser, CO, 1.5 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fraser’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −21°. 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 18 inches a year; April is the wettest month and November 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 Fraser
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 Fraser, CO.
Living with Fraser’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 32 days.
14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fraser from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (72%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fraser and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fraser yet.
Climates most like Fraser’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser, CO | 2° | 76° | 18" | 214" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Park City, UT | 18° | 81° | 23" | 153" |
| Minocqua, WI | 3° | 77° | 33" | 99" |
| 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 Fraser averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 63% 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 Fraser compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fraser’s place among Colorado’s.
Fraser weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fraser’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 | 31° | 2° | 1.4" | 33.2" | 13 | 31 | 11° – 22° |
| February | 34° | 4° | 1.3" | 30.8" | 11 | 29 | 14° – 27° |
| March | 42° | 12° | 1.4" | 31.9" | 11 | 30 | 21° – 33° |
| April | 49° | 20° | 2.0" | 31.5" | 11 | 25 | 30° – 39° |
| May | 59° | 28° | 1.8" | 11.2" | 10 | 8 | 39° – 47° |
| June | 70° | 34° | 1.3" | 1.0" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 57° |
| July | 76° | 40° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 61° |
| August | 73° | 38° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| September | 66° | 31° | 1.6" | 1.3" | 9 | 1 | 44° – 52° |
| October | 54° | 22° | 1.4" | 14.2" | 8 | 8 | 32° – 43° |
| November | 41° | 12° | 1.2" | 26.8" | 11 | 24 | 17° – 33° |
| December | 31° | 3° | 1.3" | 32.1" | 12 | 31 | 12° – 22° |
| Year | 52° | 20° | 18.3" | 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 17° to 33°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fraser’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 Fraser’s center.
- Snow: Winter Park, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fraser, CO, 1.5 miles from the town’s center, 300 ft lower; 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 Fraser’s climate
What is the weather like in Fraser?
A typical July afternoon reaches 76°, a January night drops to 2°, and about 214 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 72 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fraser in winter?
January nights average 2°. About 288 nights a year reach 32° or below and 63 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 11°.
How much snow does Fraser 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 Fraser?
July, with a typical high of 76°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Fraser, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Fraser?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Fraser, CO, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 288 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 32 days.
What growing zone is Fraser in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fraser?
No month meets the simple rule we use (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more). The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fraser getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fraser.
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.