Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Precipitation in Starkville trails that of 92% of U.S. towns: 16 inches a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 85°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 67°. Its January nights bite harder than in 66% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, June, August and September, with highs of 72–83°.
A year in Starkville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Starkville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Starkville’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Starkville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 145 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Trinidad Lake, CO, 3.0 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Starkville’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 48 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Trinidad Lake, CO, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Starkville
93% 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 Trinidad Lake, CO.
Living with Starkville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
145 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 11 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Starkville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Starkville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Starkville yet.
Climates most like Starkville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starkville, CO | 19° | 85° | 16" | 48" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Missoula, MT | 18° | 86° | 14" | 43" |
| Klamath Falls, OR | 22° | 86° | 14" | 52" |
| Ranchettes, WY | 16° | 85° | 16" | 65" |
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 Starkville averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 53% 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 Starkville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Starkville’s place among Colorado’s.
Starkville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Starkville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Trinidad Lake, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 19° | 0.5" | 9.4" | 4 | 5 | 26° – 38° |
| February | 49° | 20° | 0.5" | 8.7" | 4 | 4 | 28° – 42° |
| March | 56° | 27° | 1.2" | 6.9" | 5 | 3 | 38° – 47° |
| April | 63° | 32° | 1.4" | 5.6" | 7 | 2 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 72° | 42° | 1.7" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| June | 82° | 51° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 85° | 55° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| August | 83° | 54° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| September | 77° | 47° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| October | 67° | 36° | 1.1" | 4.1" | 5 | 1 | 45° – 57° |
| November | 55° | 26° | 0.7" | 4.4" | 5 | 2 | 33° – 47° |
| December | 47° | 19° | 0.6" | 8.7" | 4 | 6 | 27° – 38° |
| Year | 65° | 36° | 16.2" | 48.1" | 79 | 22 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 47°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Starkville’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 Starkville’s center.
- Snow: Trinidad Lake, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Trinidad Lake, CO, 3.0 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower; 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 Starkville’s climate
What is the weather like in Starkville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Starkville in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 179 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Starkville get?
About 48 inches in a normal winter at Trinidad Lake, CO, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 22 days a year.
How hot does it get in Starkville?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 55°. About 28 days a year reach 90° (Trinidad Lake, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Starkville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 145 frost-free days, at Trinidad Lake, CO.
What growing zone is Starkville in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Starkville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Starkville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Starkville.
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.