Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Less rain and snow falls on The Pinery than on 92% of U.S. towns: 17 inches a year
In January the night’s low is typically 17°. The wettest month is July; the driest is January. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 76% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, June, August and September, with highs of 68–83°.
A year in The Pinery at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about The Pinery’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with The Pinery’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in The Pinery 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 9 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Parker, CO, 5 miles from the town’s center, 270 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts The Pinery’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 58 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Castle Rock, CO, is heaviest from February through March, about 11 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 74 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in The Pinery
92% 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 Parker, CO.
Living with The Pinery’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
145 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 9 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September. 17 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in The Pinery from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →The Pinery and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of The Pinery in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like The Pinery’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pinery, CO | 17° | 86° | 17" | 58" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
| Livingston, MT | 17° | 85° | 14" | 63" |
| Pocatello, ID | 19° | 87° | 15" | 64" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in The Pinery averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A bigger 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 The Pinery compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with The Pinery’s place among Colorado’s.
The Pinery weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at The Pinery’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Castle Rock, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 17° | 0.5" | 8.0" | 4 | 12 | 22° – 36° |
| February | 46° | 18° | 0.5" | 10.7" | 5 | 9 | 26° – 39° |
| March | 53° | 25° | 1.1" | 10.7" | 5 | 5 | 34° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 31° | 1.9" | 8.3" | 6 | 4 | 40° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 40° | 2.3" | 1.1" | 8 | 1 | 48° – 58° |
| June | 80° | 50° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| July | 86° | 56° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| August | 83° | 54° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| September | 76° | 46° | 1.2" | 0.4" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| October | 64° | 34° | 1.0" | 2.7" | 4 | 2 | 41° – 55° |
| November | 52° | 24° | 0.7" | 6.7" | 4 | 5 | 30° – 46° |
| December | 44° | 17° | 0.5" | 8.9" | 5 | 11 | 23° – 35° |
| Year | 63° | 34° | 16.5" | 57.5" | 74 | 48 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 46°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where The Pinery’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 The Pinery’s center.
- Snow: Castle Rock, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Parker, CO, 5 miles from the town’s center, 270 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 The Pinery’s climate
What is the weather like in The Pinery?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 58 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in The Pinery in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 177 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does The Pinery get?
About 58 inches in a normal winter at Castle Rock, CO, heaviest from February through March, about 11 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 48 days a year.
How hot does it get in The Pinery?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 56°. About 35 days a year reach 90° (Parker, CO).
When is the first and last frost in The Pinery?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 145 frost-free days, at Parker, CO.
What growing zone is The Pinery 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 The Pinery?
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 The Pinery getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in The Pinery.
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.