Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Southern Ute: 13 inches a year
January mornings start at about 14°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 88% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.7° higher. Garden planting can start around May 23; autumn frost returns near September 29.
A year in Southern Ute at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Southern Ute’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Southern Ute’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Southern Ute feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 128 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 23 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ignacio 6ese, CO, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Southern Ute’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 34 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ignacio 6ese, CO, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 13 inches a year; August is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Southern Ute
96% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Ignacio 6ese, CO.
Living with Southern Ute’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
128 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 23 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Southern Ute from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (38%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Southern Ute and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Southern Ute yet.
Climates most like Southern Ute’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Ute, CO | 14° | 90° | 13" | 34" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
| Elko, NV | 15° | 90° | 10" | 41" |
| Nephi, UT | 17° | 91° | 14" | 32" |
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 Southern Ute averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 71% 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 Southern Ute compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Southern Ute’s place among Colorado’s.
Southern Ute weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Southern Ute’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ignacio 6ese, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 14° | 1.0" | 8.9" | 7 | 21 | 21° – 35° |
| February | 47° | 19° | 1.0" | 9.8" | 6 | 15 | 27° – 40° |
| March | 57° | 26° | 0.9" | 3.0" | 6 | 5 | 36° – 47° |
| April | 65° | 32° | 0.9" | 0.8" | 5 | 1 | 43° – 53° |
| May | 74° | 39° | 0.8" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| June | 86° | 47° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| July | 90° | 55° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| August | 87° | 53° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 80° | 45° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 66° |
| October | 67° | 34° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| November | 53° | 24° | 1.0" | 2.0" | 5 | 2 | 31° – 45° |
| December | 42° | 16° | 0.9" | 9.1" | 7 | 13 | 21° – 35° |
| Year | 66° | 34° | 12.7" | 33.8" | 78 | 56 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 35°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Southern Ute’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 Southern Ute’s center.
- Snow: Ignacio 6ese, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ignacio 6ese, CO, 3 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 Southern Ute’s climate
What is the weather like in Southern Ute?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Southern Ute in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 202 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Southern Ute get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at Ignacio 6ese, CO, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 56 days a year.
How hot does it get in Southern Ute?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 55°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Ignacio 6ese, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Southern Ute?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 23 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 128 frost-free days, at Ignacio 6ese, CO.
What growing zone is Southern Ute in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Southern Ute?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Southern Ute getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Southern Ute.
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.