Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Monte Vista
Sunny July days climb to about 81°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on almost every U.S. town. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.3°, most of all in March. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from June to August, with highs of 78–81°.
A year in Monte Vista at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Monte Vista’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Monte Vista’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Monte Vista feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 92 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 11 and the first by September 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Monte Vista 2w, CO, 2.0 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Monte Vista’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Monte Vista 2w, CO, falls mostly in January and March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 8 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 65 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Monte Vista
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 Monte Vista 2w, CO.
Living with Monte Vista’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
92 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 11 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 1.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Monte Vista from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Monte Vista and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Monte Vista yet.
Climates most like Monte Vista’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Vista, CO | 2° | 81° | 8" | 35" |
| Dickinson, ND | 5° | 83° | 16" | 35" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Laramie, WY | 12° | 81° | 12" | 64" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
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 Monte Vista averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 53% 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 Monte Vista compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Monte Vista’s place among Colorado’s.
Monte Vista weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Monte Vista’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Monte Vista 2w, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 2° | 0.3" | 6.0" | 4 | 21 | 7° – 29° |
| February | 40° | 9° | 0.3" | 4.5" | 4 | 16 | 16° – 34° |
| March | 52° | 19° | 0.6" | 6.5" | 4 | 6 | 31° – 41° |
| April | 59° | 26° | 0.6" | 4.8" | 4 | 2 | 38° – 47° |
| May | 68° | 34° | 0.7" | 1.2" | 5 | 0 | 47° – 56° |
| June | 78° | 41° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| July | 81° | 47° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 67° |
| August | 79° | 46° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 66° |
| September | 74° | 38° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 59° |
| October | 63° | 27° | 0.8" | 2.8" | 5 | 1 | 41° – 50° |
| November | 48° | 15° | 0.4" | 3.9" | 3 | 4 | 24° – 40° |
| December | 36° | 4° | 0.4" | 5.7" | 4 | 14 | 11° – 29° |
| Year | 59° | 26° | 8.4" | 35.4" | 65 | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 29°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Monte Vista’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 Monte Vista’s center.
- Snow: Monte Vista 2w, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Monte Vista 2w, CO, 2.0 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 Monte Vista’s climate
What is the weather like in Monte Vista?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 2°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 83 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Monte Vista in winter?
January nights average 2°. About 229 nights a year reach 32° or below and 42 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Monte Vista get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Monte Vista 2w, CO, most of it in January and March, with snow on the ground about 64 days a year.
How hot does it get in Monte Vista?
July, with a typical high of 81°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Monte Vista 2w, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Monte Vista?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 11 and the first fall frost by September 13, about 92 frost-free days, at Monte Vista 2w, CO.
What growing zone is Monte Vista in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Monte Vista?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Monte Vista getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Monte Vista.
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.