Photo: Greg Tally - User: (WT-shared) WineCountryInn at wts wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 3.0Palisade’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Palisade at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Palisade’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Palisade’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Palisade feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 190 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Palisade, CO, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Palisade’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Palisade, CO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 11 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June 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 Palisade
80% 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 Palisade, CO.
Living with Palisade’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
190 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 17 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 2.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Palisade from natural hazards, avalanches are 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 →Palisade and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Palisade yet.
Climates most like Palisade’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palisade, CO | 19° | 93° | 11" | 13" |
| Bloomfield, NM | 18° | 93° | 8" | 11" |
| Weiser, ID | 22° | 94° | 13" | 15" |
| Ontario, OR | 23° | 93° | 10" | 15" |
| Winnemucca, NV | 21° | 93° | 8" | 22" |
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 Palisade averaged 2.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.6°).
A bigger shift than in all but 3 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 Palisade compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Palisade’s place among Colorado’s.
Palisade weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Palisade’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Palisade, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 19° | 0.6" | 4.1" | 5 | 3 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 47° | 24° | 0.6" | 2.5" | 5 | 2 | 30° – 43° |
| March | 58° | 32° | 0.8" | 1.2" | 6 | 1 | 41° – 51° |
| April | 65° | 38° | 1.1" | 0.4" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| May | 76° | 47° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| June | 88° | 56° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| July | 93° | 62° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| August | 90° | 60° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| September | 81° | 51° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| October | 67° | 39° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 53° | 28° | 0.8" | 1.0" | 5 | 1 | 33° – 47° |
| December | 40° | 19° | 0.6" | 3.4" | 5 | 2 | 22° – 36° |
| Year | 67° | 39° | 10.7" | 12.9" | 65 | 8 |
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 37°. September is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Palisade’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 Palisade’s center.
- Snow: Palisade, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Palisade, CO, 0.6 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 Palisade’s climate
What is the weather like in Palisade?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Palisade in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 119 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Palisade get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Palisade, CO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Palisade?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 62°. About 60 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Palisade, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Palisade?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 190 frost-free days, at Palisade, CO.
What growing zone is Palisade in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Palisade?
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 Palisade getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than all but 3 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Palisade.
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.