Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Dry weather: only 17 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Lyons, less than in 91% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 87°. May is the wettest month, December the driest. Its January nights bite harder than in 73% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season, with highs of 69–81°, runs through May, June and September.
A year in Lyons at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lyons’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lyons’ place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Lyons feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 151 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 7 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Longmont 2 Ese, CO, 11 miles from the town’s center, 470 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lyons’ center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 47 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Longmont 2.1 N, CO, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; May is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lyons
90% 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 Longmont 2 Ese, CO.
Living with Lyons’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
151 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 7 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 6.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lyons from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lyons and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lyons yet.
Climates most like Lyons’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyons, CO | 17° | 87° | 17" | 47" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Rapid Valley, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 49" |
| Missoula, MT | 18° | 86° | 14" | 43" |
| Los Alamos, NM | 19° | 85° | 15" | 42" |
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 Lyons averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Lyons compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lyons’ place among Colorado’s.
Lyons weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lyons’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Longmont 2.1 N, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 17° | 0.5" | 5.9" | 5 | 25° – 37° |
| February | 46° | 19° | 0.6" | 9.4" | 7 | 28° – 40° |
| March | 54° | 26° | 1.4" | 8.2" | 7 | 33° – 46° |
| April | 61° | 32° | 2.3" | 5.2" | 8 | 41° – 51° |
| May | 69° | 41° | 2.9" | 1.3" | 11 | 50° – 59° |
| June | 81° | 49° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 61° – 69° |
| July | 87° | 55° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 84° | 53° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 65° – 73° |
| September | 77° | 45° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 56° – 65° |
| October | 64° | 34° | 1.2" | 3.4" | 7 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 52° | 25° | 0.8" | 5.7" | 5 | 30° – 46° |
| December | 44° | 17° | 0.5" | 8.3" | 5 | 25° – 35° |
| Year | 64° | 35° | 17.4" | 47.4" | 84 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 46°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Lyons’ 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 Lyons’ center.
- Snow: Longmont 2.1 N, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Longmont 2 Ese, CO, 11 miles from the town’s center, 470 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 Lyons’ climate
What is the weather like in Lyons?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lyons in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 178 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Lyons get?
About 47 inches in a normal winter at Longmont 2.1 N, CO, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Lyons?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 55°. About 49 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Longmont 2 Ese, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Lyons?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 7 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 151 frost-free days, at Longmont 2 Ese, CO.
What growing zone is Lyons in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lyons?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Lyons getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lyons.
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.