Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0Salida’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Salida at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salida’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salida’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Salida feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 112 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 29 and the first by September 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Salida, CO, 0.9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salida’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 37 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Salida, CO, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 8 inches a year; August 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 Salida
97% 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 Salida, CO.
Living with Salida’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
112 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 29 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and August. 4.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Salida from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (92%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salida and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Salida yet.
Climates most like Salida’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salida, CO | 10° | 85° | 8" | 37" |
| Green River, WY | 9° | 87° | 9" | 39" |
| Helena Valley West Central, MT | 15° | 85° | 11" | 37" |
| Rigby, ID | 12° | 85° | 12" | 66" |
| Gallup, NM | 17° | 88° | 10" | 34" |
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 Salida averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 62% 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 Salida compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salida’s place among Colorado’s.
Salida weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Salida’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Salida, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 10° | 0.2" | 4.0" | 2 | 20° – 31° |
| February | 45° | 13° | 0.3" | 4.1" | 2 | 24° – 35° |
| March | 53° | 22° | 0.5" | 6.5" | 4 | 33° – 43° |
| April | 60° | 27° | 0.8" | 8.0" | 5 | 39° – 48° |
| May | 70° | 35° | 0.8" | 2.7" | 5 | 47° – 57° |
| June | 81° | 43° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 57° – 67° |
| July | 85° | 49° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 63° – 70° |
| August | 83° | 48° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 63° – 68° |
| September | 76° | 40° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 5 | 53° – 62° |
| October | 65° | 29° | 0.7" | 2.6" | 5 | 41° – 51° |
| November | 52° | 19° | 0.3" | 4.1" | 3 | 28° – 42° |
| December | 42° | 11° | 0.4" | 4.7" | 3 | 21° – 32° |
| Year | 63° | 29° | 8.0" | 36.7" | 57 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 42°. August is the most reliable, staying within 5°.
Where Salida’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 Salida’s center.
- Snow: Salida, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Salida, CO, 0.9 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 Salida’s climate
What is the weather like in Salida?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salida in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 201 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Salida get?
About 37 inches in a normal winter at Salida, CO, most of it in April.
How hot does it get in Salida?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 49°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Salida, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Salida?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 29 and the first fall frost by September 20, about 112 frost-free days, at Salida, CO.
What growing zone is Salida in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Salida?
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 Salida getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Salida.
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.