Yucca House National Monument · Photo: National Park Service · Public domainTowaoc is among the driest of U.S. towns: 12 inches of precipitation a year
Nights in January average 20°. Precipitation peaks in September and eases off in June. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 82% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 12; autumn frost returns near October 7.
A year in Towaoc at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Towaoc’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Towaoc’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Towaoc feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by October 7. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cortez Montezuma Co Airport, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Cortez, CO, 12 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Towaoc’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cortez, CO, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 12 inches a year; September is the wettest month and June 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 Towaoc
90% 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 Cortez, CO.
Living with Towaoc’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
147 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 12 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 5.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Towaoc from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Towaoc and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Towaoc yet.
Climates most like Towaoc’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towaoc, CO | 20° | 91° | 12" | 33" |
| Bluffdale, UT | 21° | 92° | 13" | 26" |
| Twin Falls, ID | 22° | 90° | 10" | 24" |
| Gardnerville, NV | 23° | 91° | 11" | 22" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
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 Towaoc averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A bigger shift than in 76% 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 Towaoc compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Towaoc’s place among Colorado’s.
Towaoc weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Towaoc’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cortez, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 20° | 1.2" | 8.0" | 7 | 14 | 24° – 38° |
| February | 47° | 25° | 1.1" | 7.2" | 7 | 7 | 31° – 43° |
| March | 57° | 31° | 1.0" | 5.0" | 6 | 2 | 40° – 48° |
| April | 64° | 36° | 0.9" | 2.2" | 5 | 1 | 46° – 54° |
| May | 74° | 44° | 0.9" | 0.3" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| June | 86° | 53° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 91° | 60° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 88° | 59° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 77° |
| September | 80° | 51° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 68° |
| October | 67° | 39° | 1.1" | 0.6" | 6 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| November | 53° | 28° | 0.9" | 2.7" | 5 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| December | 42° | 21° | 1.0" | 7.4" | 7 | 9 | 26° – 37° |
| Year | 66° | 39° | 12.4" | 33.4" | 74 | 34 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Towaoc’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 Towaoc’s center.
- Snow: Cortez, CO.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Cortez, CO, 12 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Cortez Montezuma Co Airport, 8 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 Towaoc’s climate
What is the weather like in Towaoc?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Towaoc in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 191 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 24°.
How much snow does Towaoc get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Cortez, CO, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 34 days a year.
How hot does it get in Towaoc?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 60°. About 48 days a year reach 90° (Cortez, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Towaoc?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 147 frost-free days, at Cortez, CO.
What growing zone is Towaoc in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Towaoc?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Towaoc getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Towaoc.
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.