Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Salt Creek reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 18°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 96% of U.S. towns. March has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.3° rise. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 30, with the first autumn frost due around October 9.
A year in Salt Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salt Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salt Creek’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Salt Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 161 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pueblo Mem Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salt Creek’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pueblo Reservoir, CO, is heaviest from November through December, about 3 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; August is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Salt Creek
83% 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 Pueblo Mem Airport.
Living with Salt Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
161 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Salt Creek from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salt Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Salt Creek yet.
Climates most like Salt Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Creek, CO | 18° | 93° | 12" | 15" |
| Aztec, NM | 18° | 91° | 10" | 11" |
| Weiser, ID | 22° | 94° | 13" | 15" |
| Hooper, UT | 21° | 92° | 14" | 23" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
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 Salt Creek averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 52% 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 Salt Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salt Creek’s place among Colorado’s.
Salt Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Salt Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pueblo Reservoir, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 18° | 0.3" | 2.4" | 4 | 2 | 25° – 38° |
| February | 51° | 21° | 0.4" | 2.5" | 6 | 2 | 31° – 44° |
| March | 60° | 28° | 0.8" | 1.9" | 6 | 1 | 40° – 50° |
| April | 67° | 36° | 1.5" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| May | 77° | 46° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| June | 88° | 55° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 93° | 61° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| August | 89° | 59° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 83° | 50° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 70° | 37° | 0.9" | 1.4" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| November | 57° | 26° | 0.6" | 3.0" | 4 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| December | 48° | 18° | 0.3" | 3.0" | 4 | 2 | 27° – 37° |
| Year | 69° | 38° | 12.1" | 14.8" | 80 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 44°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Salt Creek’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 Salt Creek’s center.
- Snow: Pueblo Reservoir, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pueblo Mem Airport, 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 Salt Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Salt Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salt Creek in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 165 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 25°.
How much snow does Salt Creek get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Pueblo Reservoir, CO, heaviest from November through December, about 3 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in Salt Creek?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 61°. About 72 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Pueblo Mem Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Salt Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 161 frost-free days, at Pueblo Mem Airport.
What growing zone is Salt Creek in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Salt Creek?
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 Salt Creek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Salt Creek.
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.