Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Hot Sulphur Springs gets about 81 inches of snow a winter, more than 95% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 79°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.3° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about June 12, with the first autumn frost due around September 10.
A year in Hot Sulphur Springs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hot Sulphur Springs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hot Sulphur Springs’ place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Hot Sulphur Springs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 89 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 12 and the first by September 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Williams Fork Dam, CO, 6 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hot Sulphur Springs’ center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −25°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 81 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Williams Fork Dam, CO, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; April is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 107 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hot Sulphur Springs
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Williams Fork Dam, CO.
Living with Hot Sulphur Springs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
89 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by Jun 12 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 10.
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 Hot Sulphur Springs from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (60%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hot Sulphur Springs and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hot Sulphur Springs yet.
Climates most like Hot Sulphur Springs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Sulphur Springs, CO | 3° | 79° | 15" | 81" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Minot, ND | 2° | 82° | 17" | 52" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
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 Hot Sulphur Springs averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A smaller 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 Hot Sulphur Springs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hot Sulphur Springs’ place among Colorado’s.
Hot Sulphur Springs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hot Sulphur Springs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Williams Fork Dam, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 3° | 1.1" | 14.2" | 10 | 31 | 12° – 22° |
| February | 33° | 7° | 1.0" | 13.6" | 10 | 29 | 15° – 28° |
| March | 43° | 15° | 1.0" | 10.4" | 8 | 27 | 24° – 36° |
| April | 52° | 23° | 1.6" | 11.9" | 10 | 10 | 32° – 42° |
| May | 62° | 31° | 1.5" | 2.7" | 10 | 1 | 42° – 50° |
| June | 73° | 38° | 1.1" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| July | 79° | 44° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| August | 77° | 42° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 63° |
| September | 69° | 35° | 1.5" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| October | 56° | 25° | 1.2" | 4.8" | 8 | 3 | 34° – 45° |
| November | 42° | 15° | 1.0" | 9.9" | 8 | 15 | 20° – 36° |
| December | 30° | 5° | 1.2" | 13.3" | 9 | 28 | 12° – 23° |
| Year | 54° | 24° | 15.0" | 81.2" | 107 | 144 |
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 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Hot Sulphur Springs’ 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 Hot Sulphur Springs’ center.
- Snow: Williams Fork Dam, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Williams Fork Dam, CO, 6 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Hot Sulphur Springs’ climate
What is the weather like in Hot Sulphur Springs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 81 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 133 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hot Sulphur Springs in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 242 nights a year reach 32° or below and 51 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Hot Sulphur Springs get?
About 81 inches in a normal winter at Williams Fork Dam, CO, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 144 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hot Sulphur Springs?
July, with a typical high of 79°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Williams Fork Dam, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Hot Sulphur Springs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 12 and the first fall frost by September 10, about 89 frost-free days, at Williams Fork Dam, CO.
What growing zone is Hot Sulphur Springs in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −25°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hot Sulphur Springs?
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 Hot Sulphur Springs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hot Sulphur Springs.
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.