Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0Oak Creek gets about 131 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 99 U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 81°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 71°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 90% of U.S. towns. Long walks are most pleasant from June to August, when afternoons reach 74–81°.
A year in Oak Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Oak Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Oak Creek’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Oak Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 89 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 14 and the first by September 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Yampa, CO, 9 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Oak Creek’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 19 inches a year; April is the wettest month and June 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 Oak Creek
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Yampa, CO.
Living with Oak Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
89 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Jun 14 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Oak Creek from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Oak Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Oak Creek yet.
Climates most like Oak Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Creek, CO | 9° | 81° | 19" | 131" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
| Park City, UT | 18° | 81° | 23" | 153" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Hailey, ID | 10° | 84° | 14" | 102" |
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 Oak Creek averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Oak Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Oak Creek’s place among Colorado’s.
Oak Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Oak Creek’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 | 31° | 9° | 1.6" | 26.1" | 12 | 31 | 15° – 26° |
| February | 35° | 12° | 1.6" | 21.3" | 11 | 28 | 18° – 32° |
| March | 45° | 21° | 1.7" | 16.8" | 10 | 27 | 27° – 40° |
| April | 53° | 27° | 2.1" | 15.5" | 11 | 9 | 35° – 45° |
| May | 63° | 35° | 2.0" | 4.7" | 10 | 1 | 45° – 53° |
| June | 74° | 42° | 1.2" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| July | 81° | 48° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| August | 79° | 46° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 67° |
| September | 71° | 39° | 1.8" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| October | 57° | 29° | 1.8" | 6.9" | 8 | 3 | 36° – 48° |
| November | 43° | 19° | 1.5" | 17.4" | 9 | 15 | 22° – 38° |
| December | 32° | 10° | 1.5" | 21.4" | 11 | 28 | 16° – 26° |
| Year | 55° | 28° | 19.3" | 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 22° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Oak Creek’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 Oak Creek’s center.
- Snow: Yampa, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Yampa, CO, 9 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft higher; 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 Oak Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Oak Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 131 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Oak Creek in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 222 nights a year reach 32° or below and 26 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Oak Creek 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 Oak Creek?
July, with a typical high of 81°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Yampa, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Oak Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 14 and the first fall frost by September 11, about 89 frost-free days, at Yampa, CO.
What growing zone is Oak Creek in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Oak Creek?
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 Oak Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Oak Creek.
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.