Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Piedra gets about 85 inches of snow a winter, more than 96% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 82°. Only 77° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 89% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 31, with the first autumn frost due around September 26.
A year in Piedra at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Piedra’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Piedra’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Piedra feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 119 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Vallecito Dam, CO, 23 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Piedra’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 85 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Vallecito Dam, CO, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 21 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Piedra
99% 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 Vallecito Dam, CO.
Living with Piedra’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
119 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 31 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August. 3.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Piedra from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (76%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Piedra and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Piedra yet.
Climates most like Piedra’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piedra, CO | 5° | 82° | 21" | 85" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
| Minot, ND | 2° | 82° | 17" | 52" |
| Moorhead, MN | 0° | 82° | 25" | 51" |
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 Piedra averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
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 Piedra compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Piedra’s place among Colorado’s.
Piedra weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Piedra’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Vallecito Dam, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 5° | 1.6" | 19.6" | 6 | 26 | 15° – 27° |
| February | 41° | 9° | 1.5" | 21.2" | 7 | 19 | 21° – 32° |
| March | 49° | 18° | 1.5" | 10.4" | 6 | 14 | 29° – 39° |
| April | 57° | 25° | 1.3" | 3.6" | 6 | 1 | 36° – 46° |
| May | 67° | 32° | 1.3" | 0.6" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| June | 78° | 39° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| July | 82° | 46° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| August | 79° | 45° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 59° – 66° |
| September | 73° | 37° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 59° |
| October | 62° | 27° | 1.7" | 0.7" | 7 | 0 | 40° – 49° |
| November | 49° | 17° | 1.8" | 7.4" | 5 | 5 | 25° – 40° |
| December | 39° | 7° | 1.6" | 21.4" | 8 | 19 | 18° – 29° |
| Year | 60° | 26° | 20.6" | 84.9" | 97 | 85 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Piedra’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 Piedra’s center.
- Snow: Vallecito Dam, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Vallecito Dam, CO, 23 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft lower; 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 Piedra’s climate
What is the weather like in Piedra?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 85 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Piedra in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 212 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Piedra get?
About 85 inches in a normal winter at Vallecito Dam, CO, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 85 days a year.
How hot does it get in Piedra?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 46°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Vallecito Dam, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Piedra?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 31 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 119 frost-free days, at Vallecito Dam, CO.
What growing zone is Piedra in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Piedra?
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 Piedra 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 Piedra.
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.