Somerset is drier than 92% of U.S. towns: 17 inches of precipitation a year
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 13°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 90% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. For walks and days out, June, August and September bring highs of 74–82°.
A year in Somerset at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Somerset’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Somerset’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Somerset 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 3 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from Paonia 1sw, CO, 10 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Somerset’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 40 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cedaredge 3e, CO, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Somerset
90% 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 Paonia 1sw, CO.
Living with Somerset’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 3 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Somerset from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (76%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Somerset and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Somerset yet.
Climates most like Somerset’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset, CO | 13° | 85° | 17" | 40" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Helena, MT | 15° | 85° | 12" | 37" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Raton, NM | 15° | 85° | 16" | 25" |
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 Somerset averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 91% 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 Somerset compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Somerset’s place among Colorado’s.
Somerset weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Somerset’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cedaredge 3e, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 13° | 1.5" | 9.8" | 7 | 18° – 31° |
| February | 40° | 17° | 1.4" | 8.1" | 6 | 23° – 36° |
| March | 50° | 24° | 1.4" | 6.2" | 5 | 33° – 42° |
| April | 57° | 30° | 1.4" | 2.6" | 6 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 38° | 1.4" | 0.5" | 6 | 47° – 57° |
| June | 79° | 46° | 0.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 58° – 67° |
| July | 85° | 52° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 64° – 74° |
| August | 82° | 51° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 63° – 71° |
| September | 74° | 43° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 53° – 62° |
| October | 61° | 32° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 41° – 52° |
| November | 47° | 23° | 1.3" | 3.3" | 4 | 27° – 42° |
| December | 36° | 14° | 1.5" | 9.2" | 6 | 19° – 30° |
| Year | 60° | 32° | 16.8" | 39.7" | 72 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 42°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Somerset’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 Somerset’s center.
- Snow: Cedaredge 3e, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Paonia 1sw, CO, 10 miles from the town’s center, 600 ft lower; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Somerset’s climate
What is the weather like in Somerset?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Somerset in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 148 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Somerset get?
About 40 inches in a normal winter at Cedaredge 3e, CO, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Somerset?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 52°. About 45 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Paonia 1sw, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Somerset?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 159 frost-free days, at Paonia 1sw, CO.
What growing zone is Somerset 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 Somerset?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Somerset getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Somerset.
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.