Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Sawpit has some of the coolest summers among U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 9°. Rain follows the seasons: August brings about 2.8 times as much as June. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 94% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from October to May, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Sawpit at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sawpit’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sawpit’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Sawpit feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 137 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 17 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ouray, CO, 18 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sawpit’s center in zone 5b: 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°
About 76 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Placerville 3se, CO, falls mostly in January, February, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 99 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sawpit
98% 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 Ouray, CO.
Living with Sawpit’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
137 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 17 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sawpit from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (64%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sawpit and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sawpit yet.
Climates most like Sawpit’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sawpit, CO | 9° | 78° | 18" | 76" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Ashland, WI | 6° | 78° | 31" | 74" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
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 Sawpit averaged 2.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 98% 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 Sawpit compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sawpit’s place among Colorado’s.
Sawpit weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sawpit’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Placerville 3se, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 9° | 1.3" | 13.1" | 8 | 17° – 28° |
| February | 40° | 13° | 1.3" | 12.5" | 8 | 21° – 33° |
| March | 47° | 20° | 1.5" | 13.2" | 9 | 29° – 38° |
| April | 53° | 27° | 1.5" | 9.3" | 9 | 35° – 45° |
| May | 62° | 33° | 1.5" | 1.3" | 7 | 43° – 51° |
| June | 73° | 40° | 0.8" | 0.1" | 5 | 52° – 61° |
| July | 78° | 46° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 59° – 66° |
| August | 75° | 45° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 58° – 63° |
| September | 69° | 38° | 2.0" | 0.3" | 10 | 48° – 57° |
| October | 58° | 29° | 1.5" | 2.6" | 7 | 39° – 47° |
| November | 46° | 19° | 1.3" | 10.2" | 6 | 24° – 40° |
| December | 37° | 10° | 1.4" | 13.6" | 8 | 18° – 30° |
| Year | 56° | 27° | 18.3" | 76.2" | 99 |
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 40°. August is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Sawpit’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 Sawpit’s center.
- Snow: Placerville 3se, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ouray, CO, 18 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 Sawpit’s climate
What is the weather like in Sawpit?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 76 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sawpit in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 179 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Sawpit get?
About 76 inches in a normal winter at Placerville 3se, CO, most of it in January, February, March and December.
How hot does it get in Sawpit?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Ouray, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Sawpit?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 17 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 137 frost-free days, at Ouray, CO.
What growing zone is Sawpit in?
Zone 5b 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 Sawpit?
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 Sawpit getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sawpit.
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.