Photo: Dennis Adams, Federal Highway Administration; color-corrected by Howcheng. · Public domainLeadville gets about 154 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 51 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 154 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Leadville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Leadville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Leadville’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Leadville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 272 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 38 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Leadville Lake Co Airport, 1.7 miles from the town’s center, 230 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Leadville’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 154 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Leadville 1.4 Wnw, CO, falls mostly in April and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; August is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 130 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Leadville
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55°: every month but July.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Leadville Lake Co Airport.
Living with Leadville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 5a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 52 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July. 1.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Leadville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Leadville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Leadville yet.
Climates most like Leadville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leadville, CO | 5° | 73° | 14" | 154" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Ishpeming, MI | 5° | 77° | 33" | 197" |
| Palmer, AK | 9° | 66° | 18" | 83" |
| Hermantown, MN | 2° | 77° | 31" | 90" |
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 Leadville averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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 Leadville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Leadville’s place among Colorado’s.
Leadville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Leadville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Leadville 1.4 Wnw, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 5° | 0.9" | 20.7" | 12 | 12° – 24° |
| February | 34° | 6° | 0.9" | 19.9" | 15 | 15° – 25° |
| March | 41° | 12° | 1.0" | 21.8" | 13 | 21° – 32° |
| April | 47° | 20° | 1.3" | 24.9" | 12 | 29° – 39° |
| May | 57° | 28° | 1.2" | 12.3" | 10 | 37° – 47° |
| June | 68° | 35° | 0.9" | 0.5" | 7 | 48° – 56° |
| July | 73° | 40° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 53° – 60° |
| August | 70° | 39° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 52° – 58° |
| September | 64° | 32° | 1.2" | 2.8" | 8 | 43° – 52° |
| October | 52° | 24° | 1.0" | 10.9" | 8 | 32° – 43° |
| November | 40° | 14° | 0.8" | 16.5" | 9 | 20° – 34° |
| December | 32° | 6° | 0.8" | 23.6" | 12 | 12° – 24° |
| Year | 51° | 22° | 13.7" | 153.9" | 130 |
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 34°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Leadville’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 Leadville’s center.
- Snow: Leadville 1.4 Wnw, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Leadville Lake Co Airport, 1.7 miles from the town’s center, 230 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 Leadville’s climate
What is the weather like in Leadville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 154 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 136 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Leadville in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 272 nights a year reach 32° or below and 38 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Leadville get?
About 154 inches in a normal winter at Leadville 1.4 Wnw, CO, most of it in April and December.
How hot does it get in Leadville?
July, with a typical high of 73°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Leadville Lake Co Airport.
When is the first and last frost in Leadville?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Leadville Lake Co Airport, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 272 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 52 days.
What growing zone is Leadville in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Leadville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Leadville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Leadville.
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.