Photo: Craig Talbert · CC BY 2.0Goldfield gets about 134 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 92 U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 72°. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.0°, most of all in March. Radiators earn their keep from September to May, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Goldfield at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Goldfield’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Goldfield’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Goldfield feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 102 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 3 and the first by September 17. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cripple Creek 3nnw, CO, 7 miles from the town’s center, 740 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Ruxton Park, CO, 12 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Goldfield’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 134 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ruxton Park, CO, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 22 inches a year; July is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 105 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Goldfield
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 Ruxton Park, CO.
Living with Goldfield’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
102 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 3 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Goldfield from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Goldfield and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Goldfield yet.
Climates most like Goldfield’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfield, CO | 9° | 72° | 22" | 134" |
| Marquette, MI | 11° | 76° | 32" | 102" |
| Hermantown, MN | 2° | 77° | 31" | 90" |
| Minocqua, WI | 3° | 77° | 33" | 99" |
| Palmer, AK | 9° | 66° | 18" | 83" |
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 Goldfield averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 77% 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 Goldfield compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Goldfield’s place among Colorado’s.
Goldfield weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Goldfield’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ruxton Park, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 9° | 0.9" | 12.5" | 5 | 27 | 14° – 28° |
| February | 36° | 10° | 1.2" | 13.6" | 6 | 21 | 17° – 30° |
| March | 43° | 15° | 1.5" | 26.2" | 7 | 21 | 25° – 35° |
| April | 48° | 21° | 2.4" | 32.3" | 9 | 16 | 30° – 40° |
| May | 57° | 30° | 2.6" | 9.6" | 10 | 5 | 37° – 48° |
| June | 68° | 38° | 1.8" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 58° |
| July | 72° | 43° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 16 | 0 | 54° – 61° |
| August | 70° | 42° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 17 | 0 | 52° – 59° |
| September | 64° | 36° | 1.9" | 1.8" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| October | 53° | 26° | 1.4" | 10.4" | 6 | 3 | 33° – 45° |
| November | 42° | 17° | 1.0" | 12.6" | 5 | 13 | 21° – 36° |
| December | 35° | 9° | 0.8" | 14.1" | 5 | 23 | 16° – 27° |
| Year | 52° | 25° | 22.4" | 133.5" | 105 | 129 |
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 36°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Goldfield’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 Goldfield’s center.
- Snow: Ruxton Park, CO.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Ruxton Park, CO, 12 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Cripple Creek 3nnw, CO, 7 miles from the town’s center, 740 ft lower; 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 Goldfield’s climate
What is the weather like in Goldfield?
A typical July afternoon reaches 72°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 134 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 118 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Goldfield in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 198 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Goldfield get?
About 134 inches in a normal winter at Ruxton Park, CO, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 129 days a year.
How hot does it get in Goldfield?
July, with a typical high of 72°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Ruxton Park, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Goldfield?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 3 and the first fall frost by September 17, about 102 frost-free days, at Ruxton Park, CO.
What growing zone is Goldfield in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Goldfield?
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 Goldfield getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Goldfield.
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.