Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Less rain and snow falls on Matheson than on 92% of U.S. towns: 17 inches a year
Midwinter brings lows of about 13°. A year here swings 75° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 90% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Matheson at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Matheson’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Matheson’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Matheson feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 141 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Matheson 8 Se, CO, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Matheson’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rush 1n, CO, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; July is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 66 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Matheson
93% 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 Matheson 8 Se, CO.
Living with Matheson’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
141 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 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 Oct 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Matheson from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Matheson and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Matheson yet.
Climates most like Matheson’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matheson, CO | 13° | 87° | 17" | 31" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| Sheridan, WY | 11° | 89° | 15" | 33" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
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 Matheson averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Matheson compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Matheson’s place among Colorado’s.
Matheson weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Matheson’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rush 1n, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 13° | 0.4" | 4.7" | 3 | 6 | 19° – 34° |
| February | 45° | 15° | 0.5" | 3.8" | 3 | 6 | 24° – 37° |
| March | 54° | 22° | 1.0" | 6.5" | 5 | 3 | 33° – 44° |
| April | 60° | 29° | 1.8" | 5.6" | 6 | 2 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 70° | 39° | 2.5" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 48° – 60° |
| June | 82° | 48° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| July | 87° | 55° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 85° | 53° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| September | 77° | 44° | 1.1" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 64° | 32° | 1.0" | 1.8" | 4 | 1 | 39° – 54° |
| November | 52° | 20° | 0.5" | 4.0" | 3 | 4 | 29° – 43° |
| December | 43° | 13° | 0.4" | 4.1" | 3 | 7 | 21° – 33° |
| Year | 64° | 32° | 16.6" | 31.3" | 66 | 29 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 34°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Matheson’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 Matheson’s center.
- Snow: Rush 1n, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Matheson 8 Se, CO, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Matheson’s climate
What is the weather like in Matheson?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Matheson in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 177 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 Matheson get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Rush 1n, CO, most of it in March, with snow on the ground about 29 days a year.
How hot does it get in Matheson?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 55°. About 22 days a year reach 90° (Matheson 8 Se, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Matheson?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 141 frost-free days, at Matheson 8 Se, CO.
What growing zone is Matheson in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Matheson?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Matheson getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Matheson.
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.