Salina School · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainSunshine gets about 184 inches of snow a winter, more than all but 30 U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 82°. Precipitation peaks in May and eases off in December. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 91% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 24; autumn frost returns near September 23.
A year in Sunshine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sunshine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sunshine’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Sunshine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 120 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 23. Frost and day counts come from Gross Reservoir, CO, 9 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sunshine’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 184 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ward 4.6 Ne, CO, falls mostly in April. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; May is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 140 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sunshine
99% 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 Gross Reservoir, CO.
Living with Sunshine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
120 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 24 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 3.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sunshine from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sunshine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sunshine yet.
Climates most like Sunshine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunshine, CO | 19° | 82° | 18" | 184" |
| South Lake Tahoe, CA | 22° | 81° | 19" | 179" |
| Park City, UT | 18° | 81° | 23" | 153" |
| Lewistown, MT | 12° | 82° | 18" | 112" |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 16° | 84° | 18" | 90" |
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 Sunshine averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 62% 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 Sunshine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sunshine’s place among Colorado’s.
Sunshine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sunshine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ward 4.6 Ne, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 19° | 0.5" | 15.8" | 9 | 31 | 26° – 36° |
| February | 42° | 20° | 0.7" | 28.0" | 12 | 29 | 26° – 38° |
| March | 49° | 26° | 1.4" | 29.9" | 12 | 29 | 32° – 44° |
| April | 56° | 31° | 2.3" | 34.9" | 13 | 19 | 37° – 49° |
| May | 65° | 39° | 2.7" | 17.9" | 16 | 6 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 76° | 47° | 1.9" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| July | 82° | 54° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 15 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| August | 80° | 52° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 62° – 69° |
| September | 73° | 45° | 1.6" | 0.7" | 10 | 1 | 53° – 63° |
| October | 60° | 34° | 1.1" | 18.1" | 10 | 8 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 49° | 26° | 0.8" | 13.5" | 8 | 19 | 29° – 45° |
| December | 42° | 19° | 0.5" | 24.6" | 11 | 29 | 24° – 35° |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 17.6" | 183.5" | 140 | 169 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 45°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sunshine’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 Sunshine’s center.
- Snow: Ward 4.6 Ne, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gross Reservoir, CO, 9 miles from the town’s center, 670 ft higher; 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 Sunshine’s climate
What is the weather like in Sunshine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 184 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sunshine in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 188 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Sunshine get?
About 184 inches in a normal winter at Ward 4.6 Ne, CO, most of it in April, with snow on the ground about 169 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sunshine?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 54°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Gross Reservoir, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Sunshine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 120 frost-free days, at Gross Reservoir, CO.
What growing zone is Sunshine in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sunshine?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sunshine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sunshine.
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.