EM Ranch · Photo: Sue Norton, Campbell, California · Public domainHartsel has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 77°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 74°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 74–77°, belongs to July and August.
A year in Hartsel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hartsel’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hartsel’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Hartsel feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 108 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 2 and the first by September 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lake George 8 Sw, CO, 19 miles from the town’s center, 340 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hartsel’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −29°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 50 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lake George 8 Sw, CO, is heaviest from March through April, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 77 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hartsel
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 Lake George 8 Sw, CO.
Living with Hartsel’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
108 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by Jun 2 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 19.
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 Hartsel from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hartsel and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hartsel yet.
Climates most like Hartsel’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartsel, CO | 4° | 77° | 12" | 50" |
| Minot, ND | 2° | 82° | 17" | 52" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
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 Hartsel averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 83% 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 Hartsel compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hartsel’s place among Colorado’s.
Hartsel weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hartsel’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lake George 8 Sw, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 4° | 0.5" | 6.0" | 4 | 18 | 11° – 28° |
| February | 38° | 6° | 0.5" | 5.9" | 4 | 14 | 16° – 29° |
| March | 45° | 15° | 0.8" | 9.9" | 6 | 10 | 22° – 37° |
| April | 51° | 22° | 0.8" | 9.1" | 6 | 5 | 32° – 41° |
| May | 61° | 30° | 1.1" | 2.4" | 7 | 1 | 42° – 49° |
| June | 72° | 37° | 0.9" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| July | 77° | 43° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| August | 74° | 41° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 55° – 60° |
| September | 68° | 34° | 1.3" | 0.8" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 55° |
| October | 57° | 24° | 0.7" | 4.1" | 5 | 3 | 34° – 45° |
| November | 45° | 14° | 0.6" | 5.3" | 4 | 7 | 22° – 37° |
| December | 36° | 5° | 0.5" | 6.8" | 4 | 17 | 13° – 28° |
| Year | 55° | 23° | 12.0" | 50.4" | 77 | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 28°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Hartsel’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 Hartsel’s center.
- Snow: Lake George 8 Sw, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lake George 8 Sw, CO, 19 miles from the town’s center, 340 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 Hartsel’s climate
What is the weather like in Hartsel?
A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 4°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 145 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hartsel in winter?
January nights average 4°. About 228 nights a year reach 32° or below and 46 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 11°.
How much snow does Hartsel get?
About 50 inches in a normal winter at Lake George 8 Sw, CO, heaviest from March through April, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 75 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hartsel?
July, with a typical high of 77°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Lake George 8 Sw, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Hartsel?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 2 and the first fall frost by September 19, about 108 frost-free days, at Lake George 8 Sw, CO.
What growing zone is Hartsel in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −29°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hartsel?
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 Hartsel getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hartsel.
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.