Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Merino is drier than 93% of U.S. towns: 15 inches of precipitation a year
In January the night’s low is typically 16°. Its July heat outdoes that of 83% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 30 to October 9.
A year in Merino at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Merino’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Merino’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Merino feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 161 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sterling, CO, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Merino’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Leroy 5 Wsw, CO, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Merino
86% 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 Sterling, CO.
Living with Merino’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
161 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Merino from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (28%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Merino and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Merino yet.
Climates most like Merino’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merino, CO | 16° | 91° | 15" | 37" |
| Nephi, UT | 17° | 91° | 14" | 32" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Chadron, NE | 14° | 89° | 18" | 50" |
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 Merino averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+4.0°).
A bigger shift than in 74% 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 Merino compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Merino’s place among Colorado’s.
Merino weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Merino’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Leroy 5 Wsw, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 16° | 0.3" | 4.7" | 3 | 11 | 19° – 38° |
| February | 46° | 18° | 0.3" | 6.4" | 4 | 10 | 23° – 40° |
| March | 57° | 27° | 0.8" | 5.6" | 6 | 4 | 34° – 49° |
| April | 64° | 33° | 1.4" | 5.1" | 8 | 2 | 43° – 55° |
| May | 73° | 44° | 2.5" | 0.9" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 85° | 54° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| July | 91° | 61° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| August | 89° | 58° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 81° | 49° | 1.2" | 0.4" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 35° | 1.1" | 2.3" | 5 | 2 | 42° – 57° |
| November | 53° | 24° | 0.5" | 5.0" | 4 | 4 | 29° – 45° |
| December | 42° | 16° | 0.3" | 6.2" | 4 | 10 | 20° – 34° |
| Year | 66° | 36° | 15.0" | 36.6" | 75 | 43 |
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 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Merino’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 Merino’s center.
- Snow: Leroy 5 Wsw, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sterling, CO, 13 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 Merino’s climate
What is the weather like in Merino?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Merino in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 164 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 Merino get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Leroy 5 Wsw, CO, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 43 days a year.
How hot does it get in Merino?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 61°. About 56 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Sterling, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Merino?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 161 frost-free days, at Sterling, CO.
What growing zone is Merino in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Merino?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Merino getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 74% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Merino.
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.