Arrowhead Lodge · Photo: Paul Murr · CC BY-SA 3.0Red Feather Lakes has some of the coolest summers among U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 16° on average. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 92% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.8° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Garden planting can start around June 5; autumn frost returns near September 16.
A year in Red Feather Lakes at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Red Feather Lakes’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Red Feather Lakes’ place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Red Feather Lakes feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 101 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 5 and the first by September 16. Frost and day counts come from Rustic 9wsw, CO, 10 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Red Feather Lakes’ 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°
About 73 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rustic 9wsw, CO, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Red Feather Lakes
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Rustic 9wsw, CO.
Living with Red Feather Lakes’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
101 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Jun 5 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August. 16 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Red Feather Lakes from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Red Feather Lakes and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Red Feather Lakes yet.
Climates most like Red Feather Lakes’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Feather Lakes, CO | 16° | 78° | 16" | 73" |
| Whitefish, MT | 17° | 82° | 18" | 63" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Big Bear Lake, CA | 25° | 80° | 24" | 59" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
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 Red Feather Lakes averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.8°).
A bigger shift than in 82% 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 Red Feather Lakes compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Red Feather Lakes’ place among Colorado’s.
Red Feather Lakes weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Red Feather Lakes’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rustic 9wsw, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 16° | 0.6" | 6.4" | 4 | 6 | 20° – 32° |
| February | 36° | 15° | 0.8" | 7.9" | 5 | 8 | 20° – 31° |
| March | 43° | 21° | 1.3" | 13.0" | 6 | 7 | 26° – 38° |
| April | 49° | 25° | 2.0" | 15.7" | 8 | 6 | 31° – 43° |
| May | 59° | 33° | 2.2" | 5.5" | 10 | 2 | 40° – 50° |
| June | 71° | 41° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| July | 78° | 48° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| August | 75° | 46° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| September | 68° | 39° | 1.4" | 1.7" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 58° |
| October | 55° | 30° | 1.1" | 6.7" | 6 | 3 | 35° – 48° |
| November | 42° | 21° | 0.8" | 8.2" | 5 | 5 | 24° – 39° |
| December | 35° | 16° | 0.7" | 8.1" | 5 | 8 | 18° – 30° |
| Year | 54° | 29° | 15.8" | 73.2" | 85 | 44 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 39°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Red Feather Lakes’ 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 Red Feather Lakes’ center.
- Snow: Rustic 9wsw, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rustic 9wsw, CO, 10 miles from the town’s center, 560 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 Red Feather Lakes’ climate
What is the weather like in Red Feather Lakes?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 73 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 81% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Red Feather Lakes in winter?
February nights average 15°. About 207 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest February of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Red Feather Lakes get?
About 73 inches in a normal winter at Rustic 9wsw, CO, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 44 days a year.
How hot does it get in Red Feather Lakes?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Rustic 9wsw, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Red Feather Lakes?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 5 and the first fall frost by September 16, about 101 frost-free days, at Rustic 9wsw, CO.
What growing zone is Red Feather Lakes 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 Red Feather Lakes?
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 Red Feather Lakes getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Red Feather Lakes.
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.