Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0Hayden gets about 113 inches of snow a winter, more than 98% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 85°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 92% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.7° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 1, with the first autumn frost due around September 20.
A year in Hayden at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hayden’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hayden’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Hayden feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 109 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by September 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hayden, CO, 0.5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hayden’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 113 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hayden, CO, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; April is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hayden
97% 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 Hayden, CO.
Living with Hayden’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
109 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 1 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hayden from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (80%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hayden and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hayden yet.
Climates most like Hayden’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayden, CO | 7° | 85° | 16" | 113" |
| Hailey, ID | 10° | 84° | 14" | 102" |
| Belgrade, MT | 13° | 85° | 14" | 91" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
| Heber, UT | 12° | 88° | 15" | 75" |
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 Hayden averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.8°).
A bigger shift than in 72% 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 Hayden compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hayden’s place among Colorado’s.
Hayden weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hayden’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hayden, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 7° | 1.4" | 26.3" | 12 | 31 | 10° – 28° |
| February | 36° | 12° | 1.2" | 17.9" | 11 | 29 | 17° – 32° |
| March | 47° | 21° | 1.2" | 12.6" | 10 | 20 | 28° – 41° |
| April | 57° | 29° | 1.8" | 10.0" | 11 | 3 | 38° – 47° |
| May | 67° | 36° | 1.7" | 1.4" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 55° |
| June | 78° | 43° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| July | 85° | 50° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| August | 83° | 48° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| September | 75° | 40° | 1.6" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 61° |
| October | 61° | 29° | 1.5" | 5.0" | 8 | 2 | 37° – 51° |
| November | 45° | 19° | 1.3" | 15.7" | 9 | 13 | 20° – 38° |
| December | 32° | 9° | 1.3" | 23.8" | 11 | 28 | 14° – 28° |
| Year | 58° | 29° | 16.1" | 113.0" | 116 | 125 |
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 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Hayden’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 Hayden’s center.
- Snow: Hayden, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hayden, CO, 0.5 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 Hayden’s climate
What is the weather like in Hayden?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 113 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hayden in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 197 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Hayden get?
About 113 inches in a normal winter at Hayden, CO, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 125 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hayden?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 50°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Hayden, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Hayden?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by September 20, about 109 frost-free days, at Hayden, CO.
What growing zone is Hayden in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hayden?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Hayden getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hayden.
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.