Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Dry weather: only 13 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Ignacio, less than in 95% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 14°. August is the wettest month, June the driest. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 88% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly June 1 to September 27.
A year in Ignacio at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ignacio’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ignacio’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Ignacio feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 116 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Durango La Plata Co Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ignacio’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 34 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ignacio 6ese, CO, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ignacio
96% 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 Durango La Plata Co Airport.
Living with Ignacio’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
116 frost-free days in zone 6a. 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ignacio from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (38%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ignacio and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ignacio yet.
Climates most like Ignacio’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ignacio, CO | 14° | 89° | 13" | 34" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
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 Ignacio averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 73% 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 Ignacio compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ignacio’s place among Colorado’s.
Ignacio weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ignacio’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ignacio 6ese, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 14° | 1.1" | 8.9" | 7 | 21 | 21° – 35° |
| February | 46° | 19° | 1.1" | 9.8" | 6 | 15 | 26° – 39° |
| March | 56° | 26° | 0.9" | 3.0" | 6 | 5 | 35° – 46° |
| April | 63° | 32° | 0.9" | 0.8" | 5 | 1 | 43° – 52° |
| May | 73° | 39° | 0.8" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 85° | 47° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| July | 89° | 54° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 86° | 53° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| September | 79° | 45° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| October | 66° | 34° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 54° |
| November | 52° | 24° | 1.0" | 2.0" | 5 | 2 | 31° – 45° |
| December | 42° | 16° | 0.9" | 9.1" | 7 | 13 | 20° – 34° |
| Year | 65° | 34° | 13.1" | 33.8" | 78 | 56 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 35°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Ignacio’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 Ignacio’s center.
- Snow: Ignacio 6ese, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Durango La Plata Co Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Ignacio’s climate
What is the weather like in Ignacio?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ignacio in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 202 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Ignacio get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at Ignacio 6ese, CO, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 56 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ignacio?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 54°. About 22 days a year reach 90° (Durango La Plata Co Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Ignacio?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 116 frost-free days, at Durango La Plata Co Airport.
What growing zone is Ignacio in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ignacio?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ignacio getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ignacio.
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.