Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Sheridan Lake reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 17°. A year here swings 74° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 92% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May and September, with highs of 75–81°.
A year in Sheridan Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sheridan Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sheridan Lake’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Sheridan Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sheridan Lake, CO, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sheridan Lake’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 20 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Arapahoe 12s, CO, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 47 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sheridan Lake
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 Sheridan Lake, CO.
Living with Sheridan Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 15.
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 Sheridan Lake from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sheridan Lake and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sheridan Lake yet.
Climates most like Sheridan Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan Lake, CO | 17° | 91° | 16" | 20" |
| American Fork, UT | 20° | 92° | 17" | 26" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
| Sidney, NE | 15° | 89° | 17" | 29" |
| White Rock, NM | 18° | 89° | 13" | 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 Sheridan Lake averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Sheridan Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sheridan Lake’s place among Colorado’s.
Sheridan Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sheridan Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Arapahoe 12s, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 17° | 0.3" | 2.5" | 2 | 3 | 19° – 37° |
| February | 48° | 20° | 0.3" | 4.5" | 3 | 6 | 25° – 41° |
| March | 58° | 28° | 0.7" | 2.3" | 3 | 3 | 37° – 50° |
| April | 65° | 36° | 1.5" | 1.8" | 4 | 1 | 45° – 56° |
| May | 75° | 47° | 2.2" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| June | 87° | 56° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 91° | 62° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| August | 89° | 60° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| September | 81° | 52° | 1.0" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| October | 68° | 38° | 1.2" | 0.9" | 4 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 55° | 26° | 0.4" | 2.1" | 2 | 2 | 33° – 46° |
| December | 45° | 18° | 0.4" | 6.1" | 2 | 5 | 24° – 36° |
| Year | 67° | 38° | 16.4" | 20.3" | 47 | 20 |
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 9°.
Where Sheridan Lake’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 Sheridan Lake’s center.
- Snow: Arapahoe 12s, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sheridan Lake, CO, 0.2 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 Sheridan Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Sheridan Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sheridan Lake in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 154 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Sheridan Lake get?
About 20 inches in a normal winter at Arapahoe 12s, CO, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 20 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sheridan Lake?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 62°. About 71 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Sheridan Lake, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Sheridan Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 170 frost-free days, at Sheridan Lake, CO.
What growing zone is Sheridan Lake 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 Sheridan Lake?
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 Sheridan Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sheridan Lake.
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.