Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0Pagosa Springs sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
Sunny July days climb to about 85°. August is the wettest month, June the driest. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 90% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Pagosa Springs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pagosa Springs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pagosa Springs’ place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Pagosa Springs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 103 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 9 and the first by September 22. Frost and day counts come from Dulce, NM, 23 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pagosa Springs’ center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. 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 56 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dulce, NM, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pagosa Springs
96% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Dulce, NM.
Living with Pagosa Springs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
103 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 9 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and August. 3.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pagosa Springs from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pagosa Springs and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pagosa Springs yet.
Climates most like Pagosa Springs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pagosa Springs, CO | 8° | 85° | 20" | 56" |
| Huron, SD | 6° | 86° | 23" | 44" |
| Mandan, ND | 3° | 84° | 18" | 51" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
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 Pagosa Springs averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Pagosa Springs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pagosa Springs’ place among Colorado’s.
Pagosa Springs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pagosa Springs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dulce, NM. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 8° | 1.9" | 13.4" | 7 | 23 | 18° – 31° |
| February | 44° | 12° | 1.7" | 12.8" | 8 | 18 | 23° – 34° |
| March | 53° | 21° | 1.4" | 6.3" | 8 | 5 | 32° – 42° |
| April | 60° | 27° | 1.4" | 2.7" | 7 | 0 | 39° – 48° |
| May | 70° | 33° | 1.3" | 0.4" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 55° |
| June | 80° | 41° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| July | 85° | 48° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| August | 82° | 47° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 61° – 67° |
| September | 76° | 40° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| October | 64° | 29° | 1.8" | 1.0" | 7 | 0 | 42° – 51° |
| November | 51° | 19° | 1.5" | 5.7" | 6 | 4 | 27° – 42° |
| December | 41° | 9° | 1.8" | 13.4" | 8 | 16 | 19° – 31° |
| Year | 62° | 28° | 19.7" | 55.7" | 96 | 67 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 42°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Pagosa Springs’ 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 Pagosa Springs’ center.
- Snow: Dulce, NM.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dulce, NM, 23 miles from the town’s center, 660 ft lower; 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 Pagosa Springs’ climate
What is the weather like in Pagosa Springs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 56 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pagosa Springs in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 217 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Pagosa Springs get?
About 56 inches in a normal winter at Dulce, NM, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 67 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pagosa Springs?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 48°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Dulce, NM).
When is the first and last frost in Pagosa Springs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 9 and the first fall frost by September 22, about 103 frost-free days, at Dulce, NM.
What growing zone is Pagosa Springs in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pagosa Springs?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Pagosa Springs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pagosa Springs.
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.