Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Rocky Ford reaches 100° on about 13 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 16°. Rain follows the seasons: July brings about 7.5 times as much as January. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 96% of U.S. towns. If you like long walks, May and September offer highs of 79–84°.
A year in Rocky Ford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rocky Ford’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rocky Ford’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Rocky Ford 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 1 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rocky Ford 2 Se, CO, 1.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rocky Ford’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rocky Ford 2 Se, CO, falls mostly in January, March 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 57 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rocky Ford
82% 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 Rocky Ford 2 Se, CO.
Living with Rocky Ford’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 1 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. 4.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rocky Ford from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rocky Ford and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Rocky Ford yet.
Climates most like Rocky Ford’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Ford, CO | 16° | 94° | 12" | 25" |
| Saratoga Springs, UT | 20° | 92° | 12" | 26" |
| Winnemucca, NV | 21° | 93° | 8" | 22" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
| 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 Rocky Ford averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 81% 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 Rocky Ford compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rocky Ford’s place among Colorado’s.
Rocky Ford weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rocky Ford’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rocky Ford 2 Se, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 16° | 0.3" | 4.6" | 3 | 6 | 19° – 37° |
| February | 51° | 19° | 0.3" | 3.8" | 3 | 4 | 28° – 44° |
| March | 62° | 28° | 0.7" | 4.7" | 5 | 1 | 40° – 50° |
| April | 69° | 35° | 1.3" | 1.8" | 5 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 79° | 46° | 1.6" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| June | 89° | 56° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| July | 94° | 61° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 74° – 82° |
| August | 91° | 59° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| September | 84° | 50° | 0.8" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| October | 71° | 36° | 0.9" | 2.1" | 4 | 1 | 47° – 60° |
| November | 57° | 25° | 0.4" | 3.3" | 3 | 2 | 32° – 47° |
| December | 47° | 16° | 0.3" | 4.3" | 3 | 5 | 24° – 35° |
| Year | 70° | 37° | 12.2" | 24.8" | 57 | 18 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 37°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Rocky Ford’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 Rocky Ford’s center.
- Snow: Rocky Ford 2 Se, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rocky Ford 2 Se, CO, 1.7 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 Rocky Ford’s climate
What is the weather like in Rocky Ford?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rocky Ford in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 159 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Rocky Ford get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Rocky Ford 2 Se, CO, most of it in January, March and December, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rocky Ford?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 61°. About 83 days a year reach 90° and 13 reach 100° (Rocky Ford 2 Se, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Rocky Ford?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 159 frost-free days, at Rocky Ford 2 Se, CO.
What growing zone is Rocky Ford in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rocky Ford?
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 Rocky Ford getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rocky Ford.
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.