Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 4.0Precipitation in Hillrose trails that of 93% of U.S. towns: 15 inches a year
In January the night’s low is typically 15°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 85% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 2.1° higher. The outdoor season, with highs of 73–81°, runs through May and September.
A year in Hillrose at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hillrose’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hillrose’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Hillrose feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 155 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Akron Washington Co Airport, 19 miles from the town’s center, 490 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hillrose’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ft Morgan, CO, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hillrose
88% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Akron Washington Co Airport.
Living with Hillrose’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
155 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 6 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hillrose from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hillrose and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hillrose yet.
Climates most like Hillrose’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillrose, CO | 15° | 91° | 15" | 23" |
| Nephi, UT | 17° | 91° | 14" | 32" |
| White Rock, NM | 18° | 89° | 13" | 20" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
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 Hillrose averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+4.3°).
A bigger shift than in 92% 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 Hillrose compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hillrose’s place among Colorado’s.
Hillrose weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hillrose’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ft Morgan, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 15° | 0.2" | 3.8" | 3 | 7 | 18° – 37° |
| February | 46° | 18° | 0.3" | 3.9" | 3 | 6 | 24° – 39° |
| March | 57° | 26° | 0.7" | 3.8" | 4 | 2 | 34° – 48° |
| April | 64° | 33° | 1.4" | 1.7" | 6 | 1 | 42° – 55° |
| May | 73° | 44° | 2.3" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 85° | 53° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| July | 91° | 60° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 89° | 57° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| September | 81° | 49° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 34° | 1.1" | 2.1" | 5 | 1 | 42° – 57° |
| November | 53° | 24° | 0.4" | 2.7" | 3 | 1 | 29° – 46° |
| December | 42° | 15° | 0.3" | 4.4" | 3 | 7 | 20° – 33° |
| Year | 66° | 36° | 14.7" | 22.7" | 64 | 24 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 37°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Hillrose’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 Hillrose’s center.
- Snow: Ft Morgan, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Akron Washington Co Airport, 19 miles from the town’s center, 490 ft higher; 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 Hillrose’s climate
What is the weather like in Hillrose?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hillrose in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 157 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Hillrose get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Ft Morgan, CO, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 24 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hillrose?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 60°. About 42 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Akron Washington Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Hillrose?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 155 frost-free days, at Akron Washington Co Airport.
What growing zone is Hillrose in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hillrose?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Hillrose getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hillrose.
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.