Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Ordway reaches 100° on about 22 days a year, more than 96% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ordway at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ordway’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ordway’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Ordway 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 Ordway 1 Ene, CO, 1.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ordway’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ordway 1 Ene, CO, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 37 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ordway
84% of the work is heating. 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 Ordway 1 Ene, CO.
Living with Ordway’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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ordway from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ordway and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ordway yet.
Climates most like Ordway’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordway, CO | 15° | 94° | 12" | 14" |
| Bloomfield, NM | 18° | 93° | 8" | 11" |
| Price, UT | 14° | 92° | 9" | 8.7" |
| Winnemucca, NV | 21° | 93° | 8" | 22" |
| Weiser, ID | 22° | 94° | 13" | 15" |
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 Ordway averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 80% 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 Ordway compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ordway’s place among Colorado’s.
Ordway weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ordway’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ordway 1 Ene, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 15° | 0.2" | 2.4" | 1 | 1 | 20° – 36° |
| February | 50° | 19° | 0.2" | 3.0" | 2 | 1 | 29° – 42° |
| March | 61° | 27° | 0.6" | 2.7" | 3 | 1 | 39° – 49° |
| April | 68° | 34° | 1.2" | 0.8" | 4 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| May | 78° | 45° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| June | 89° | 55° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| July | 94° | 61° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| August | 91° | 59° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| September | 83° | 50° | 0.8" | 0.1" | 3 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| October | 70° | 36° | 0.7" | 0.7" | 2 | 0 | 46° – 59° |
| November | 56° | 24° | 0.3" | 1.1" | 2 | 1 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 46° | 16° | 0.2" | 3.3" | 2 | 1 | 24° – 34° |
| Year | 69° | 37° | 11.6" | 14.1" | 37 | 5 |
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°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Ordway’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 Ordway’s center.
- Snow: Ordway 1 Ene, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ordway 1 Ene, CO, 1.3 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 Ordway’s climate
What is the weather like in Ordway?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ordway in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 173 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Ordway get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Ordway 1 Ene, CO, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ordway?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 61°. About 86 days a year reach 90° and 22 reach 100° (Ordway 1 Ene, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Ordway?
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 Ordway 1 Ene, CO.
What growing zone is Ordway in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ordway?
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 Ordway getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ordway.
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.