Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0McCoy gets about 131 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 99 U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 86°. The wettest month is September; the driest is November. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 95% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about June 6; in half of years the first frost comes by September 14.
A year in McCoy at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about McCoy’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with McCoy’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in McCoy feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 98 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 6 and the first by September 14. Frost and day counts come from Green Mt Dam, CO, 21 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts McCoy’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 131 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Yampa, CO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; September is the wettest month and November the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 119 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in McCoy
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. 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 Green Mt Dam, CO.
Living with McCoy’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
98 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 6 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in McCoy from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (78%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →McCoy and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around McCoy yet.
Climates most like McCoy’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCoy, CO | 6° | 86° | 12" | 131" |
| Hailey, ID | 10° | 84° | 14" | 102" |
| Belgrade, MT | 13° | 85° | 14" | 91" |
| Heber, UT | 12° | 88° | 15" | 75" |
| Lander, WY | 8° | 88° | 13" | 67" |
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 McCoy averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 60% 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 McCoy compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with McCoy’s place among Colorado’s.
McCoy weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at McCoy’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Yampa, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 6° | 0.8" | 26.1" | 12 | 31 | 15° – 25° |
| February | 39° | 11° | 0.8" | 21.3" | 11 | 28 | 20° – 33° |
| March | 50° | 21° | 0.8" | 16.8" | 10 | 27 | 30° – 42° |
| April | 58° | 28° | 1.3" | 15.5" | 11 | 9 | 38° – 48° |
| May | 69° | 35° | 1.3" | 4.7" | 10 | 1 | 48° – 56° |
| June | 80° | 42° | 0.9" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| July | 86° | 48° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| August | 84° | 47° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| September | 76° | 39° | 1.4" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| October | 62° | 28° | 1.2" | 6.9" | 8 | 3 | 39° – 50° |
| November | 47° | 18° | 0.7" | 17.4" | 9 | 15 | 23° – 40° |
| December | 35° | 8° | 0.9" | 21.4" | 11 | 28 | 17° – 27° |
| Year | 60° | 28° | 12.3" | 131.2" | 119 | 144 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where McCoy’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 McCoy’s center.
- Snow: Yampa, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Green Mt Dam, CO, 21 miles from the town’s center, 970 ft higher; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 McCoy’s climate
What is the weather like in McCoy?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 131 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in McCoy in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 235 nights a year reach 32° or below and 40 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does McCoy get?
About 131 inches in a normal winter at Yampa, CO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 144 days a year.
How hot does it get in McCoy?
July, with a typical high of 86°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Green Mt Dam, CO.
When is the first and last frost in McCoy?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 6 and the first fall frost by September 14, about 98 frost-free days, at Green Mt Dam, CO.
What growing zone is McCoy 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 McCoy?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is McCoy getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in McCoy.
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.