Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0Precipitation in Milliken trails that of 94% of U.S. towns: 14 inches a year
Deep winter brings January lows near 15°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 84% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 2, with the first autumn frost due around October 8.
A year in Milliken at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Milliken’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Milliken’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Milliken feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Greeley Unc, CO, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Milliken’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 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Greeley Unc, CO, falls mostly in January, November and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 74 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Milliken
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 Greeley Unc, CO.
Living with Milliken’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 2 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 8.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Milliken from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Milliken and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Milliken in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Milliken’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milliken, CO | 15° | 90° | 14" | 35" |
| Nephi, UT | 17° | 91° | 14" | 32" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
| Gallup, NM | 17° | 88° | 10" | 34" |
| Billings, MT | 15° | 89° | 14" | 48" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Milliken averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 72% 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 Milliken compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Milliken’s place among Colorado’s.
Milliken weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Milliken’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Greeley Unc, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 15° | 0.4" | 5.7" | 4 | 12 | 20° – 36° |
| February | 47° | 18° | 0.4" | 5.1" | 4 | 7 | 26° – 40° |
| March | 57° | 26° | 0.8" | 5.1" | 5 | 3 | 35° – 48° |
| April | 64° | 33° | 1.7" | 3.7" | 8 | 1 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 73° | 43° | 2.5" | 0.5" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| June | 85° | 52° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| July | 90° | 58° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 88° | 56° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 80° | 47° | 1.2" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| October | 66° | 34° | 1.0" | 3.3" | 6 | 1 | 43° – 56° |
| November | 53° | 23° | 0.6" | 5.4" | 4 | 4 | 30° – 45° |
| December | 43° | 15° | 0.4" | 5.6" | 4 | 11 | 22° – 35° |
| Year | 66° | 35° | 13.8" | 34.9" | 74 | 39 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Milliken’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 Milliken’s center.
- Snow: Greeley Unc, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Greeley Unc, CO, 11 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 Milliken’s climate
What is the weather like in Milliken?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Milliken in winter?
December nights average 15°. About 153 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Milliken get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Greeley Unc, CO, most of it in January, November and December, with snow on the ground about 39 days a year.
How hot does it get in Milliken?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 58°. About 58 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Greeley Unc, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Milliken?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 159 frost-free days, at Greeley Unc, CO.
What growing zone is Milliken 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 Milliken?
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 Milliken getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Milliken.
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.