Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainMancos’ winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 57 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Mancos at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mancos’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mancos’ place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Mancos feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 111 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 4 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mancos 1sw, CO, 1.5 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mancos’ 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 57 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mancos 1sw, CO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mancos
97% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Mancos 1sw, CO.
Living with Mancos’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
111 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Jun 4 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September. 1.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mancos from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mancos and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Mancos yet.
Climates most like Mancos’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mancos, CO | 13° | 85° | 16" | 57" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Great Falls, MT | 13° | 84° | 13" | 66" |
| Rapid Valley, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 49" |
| Rexburg, ID | 12° | 84° | 13" | 70" |
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 Mancos averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 81% 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 Mancos compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mancos’ place among Colorado’s.
Mancos weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mancos’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mancos 1sw, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 13° | 1.5" | 14.7" | 8 | 23 | 19° – 33° |
| February | 44° | 17° | 1.4" | 12.8" | 7 | 16 | 25° – 37° |
| March | 52° | 24° | 1.2" | 6.6" | 7 | 6 | 33° – 43° |
| April | 59° | 29° | 1.1" | 3.5" | 6 | 1 | 40° – 49° |
| May | 69° | 36° | 1.2" | 0.9" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| June | 80° | 44° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| July | 85° | 51° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| August | 82° | 50° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| September | 75° | 42° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| October | 63° | 32° | 1.5" | 0.6" | 6 | 1 | 43° – 52° |
| November | 50° | 22° | 1.2" | 5.2" | 6 | 4 | 28° – 43° |
| December | 40° | 14° | 1.3" | 12.8" | 7 | 17 | 20° – 33° |
| Year | 61° | 31° | 16.4" | 57.1" | 83 | 66 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Mancos’ 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 Mancos’ center.
- Snow: Mancos 1sw, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mancos 1sw, CO, 1.5 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Mancos’ climate
What is the weather like in Mancos?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 57 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mancos in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 194 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 19°.
How much snow does Mancos get?
About 57 inches in a normal winter at Mancos 1sw, CO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 66 days a year.
How hot does it get in Mancos?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 51°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Mancos 1sw, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Mancos?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 4 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 111 frost-free days, at Mancos 1sw, CO.
What growing zone is Mancos 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 Mancos?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Mancos getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mancos.
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.