Montezuma Schoolhouse · Photo: McManus42 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Montezuma gets about 185 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 26 U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 66°. Winter and summer sit 57° apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in almost every U.S. town. The outdoor season, with highs of 64–66°, runs through July and August.
A year in Montezuma at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Montezuma’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Montezuma’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Montezuma feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 269 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 54 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from Climax, CO, 23 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Montezuma’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 185 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Breckenridge, CO, is heaviest from January through April, about 28 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; April is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 136 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Montezuma
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from every month of the year.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Climax, CO.
Living with Montezuma’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 5a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 61 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Montezuma from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (79%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Montezuma and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Montezuma yet.
Climates most like Montezuma’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montezuma, CO | 10° | 66° | 28" | 185" |
| Palmer, AK | 9° | 66° | 18" | 83" |
| Incline Village, NV | 22° | 73° | 38" | 179" |
| Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 8° | 76° | 37" | 120" |
| North Elba, NY | 4° | 72° | 52" | 104" |
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 Montezuma averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 70% 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 Montezuma compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Montezuma’s place among Colorado’s.
Montezuma weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Montezuma’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Breckenridge, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 10° | 2.3" | 27.7" | 13 | 31 | 13° – 24° |
| February | 29° | 10° | 2.4" | 27.7" | 12 | 29 | 15° – 26° |
| March | 37° | 15° | 2.7" | 27.6" | 13 | 31 | 21° – 32° |
| April | 42° | 20° | 3.4" | 28.0" | 13 | 25 | 26° – 36° |
| May | 51° | 29° | 2.7" | 9.5" | 10 | 4 | 35° – 44° |
| June | 61° | 37° | 1.5" | 0.8" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 54° |
| July | 66° | 42° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 58° |
| August | 64° | 41° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 49° – 56° |
| September | 57° | 35° | 1.8" | 2.2" | 10 | 1 | 41° – 50° |
| October | 46° | 26° | 2.0" | 13.6" | 9 | 7 | 30° – 41° |
| November | 35° | 16° | 2.2" | 23.7" | 10 | 24 | 17° – 33° |
| December | 27° | 10° | 2.2" | 23.8" | 11 | 29 | 13° – 23° |
| Year | 45° | 24° | 28.0" | 184.6" | 136 | 179 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 33°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Montezuma’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 Montezuma’s center.
- Snow: Breckenridge, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Climax, CO, 23 miles from the town’s center, 960 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 Montezuma’s climate
What is the weather like in Montezuma?
A typical July afternoon reaches 66°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 185 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 39 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Montezuma in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 269 nights a year reach 32° or below and 54 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Montezuma get?
About 185 inches in a normal winter at Breckenridge, CO, heaviest from January through April, about 28 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 179 days a year.
How hot does it get in Montezuma?
July, with a typical high of 66°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Climax, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Montezuma?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Climax, CO, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 269 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 61 days.
What growing zone is Montezuma in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Montezuma?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Montezuma getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Montezuma.
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.