Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0Gardner is drier than 92% of U.S. towns: 16 inches of precipitation a year
Sunny July days climb to about 85°. Its January nights bite harder than in 89% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.4° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Plan time outside for June, August and September, when highs sit at 75–82°.
A year in Gardner at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gardner’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gardner’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Gardner feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 119 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 27 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from Sheep Mtn, CO, 6 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gardner’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 51 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sheep Mtn, CO, falls mostly in November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 61 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gardner
98% 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 Sheep Mtn, CO.
Living with Gardner’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
119 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 27 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 1.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gardner from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gardner and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gardner yet.
Climates most like Gardner’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner, CO | 13° | 85° | 16" | 51" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Rapid Valley, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 49" |
| Great Falls, MT | 13° | 84° | 13" | 66" |
| 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 Gardner averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.2°).
A bigger shift than in 54% 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 Gardner compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gardner’s place among Colorado’s.
Gardner weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gardner’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sheep Mtn, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 13° | 0.6" | 7.7" | 3 | 20° – 34° |
| February | 45° | 16° | 0.6" | 7.2" | 4 | 25° – 37° |
| March | 54° | 23° | 1.0" | 7.8" | 4 | 35° – 44° |
| April | 61° | 29° | 1.6" | 8.3" | 4 | 40° – 50° |
| May | 70° | 37° | 1.5" | 0.7" | 6 | 48° – 59° |
| June | 81° | 46° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4 | 59° – 69° |
| July | 85° | 51° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 64° – 72° |
| August | 82° | 50° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 62° – 70° |
| September | 75° | 42° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 5 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 65° | 31° | 1.1" | 1.8" | 4 | 42° – 53° |
| November | 52° | 22° | 0.7" | 10.3" | 4 | 28° – 44° |
| December | 43° | 14° | 0.7" | 7.3" | 3 | 22° – 34° |
| Year | 63° | 31° | 15.8" | 51.2" | 61 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 44°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Gardner’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 Gardner’s center.
- Snow: Sheep Mtn, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sheep Mtn, CO, 6 miles from the town’s center, 710 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 Gardner’s climate
What is the weather like in Gardner?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 51 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gardner in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 171 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Gardner get?
About 51 inches in a normal winter at Sheep Mtn, CO, most of it in November.
How hot does it get in Gardner?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 51°. About 2 days a year reach 90° (Sheep Mtn, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Gardner?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 27 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 119 frost-free days, at Sheep Mtn, CO.
What growing zone is Gardner in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gardner?
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 Gardner getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gardner.
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.