Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Trinidad’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 55 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Trinidad at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Trinidad’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Trinidad’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Trinidad feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Trinidad, CO, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Trinidad’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 55 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Trinidad, CO, falls mostly in March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 14 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Trinidad
85% 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, CO.
Living with Trinidad’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Trinidad from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Trinidad and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Trinidad yet.
Climates most like Trinidad’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinidad, CO | 18° | 88° | 14" | 55" |
| Billings, MT | 15° | 89° | 14" | 48" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| Smithfield, UT | 15° | 89° | 18" | 62" |
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 Trinidad averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 54% 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 Trinidad compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Trinidad’s place among Colorado’s.
Trinidad weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Trinidad’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Trinidad, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 18° | 0.5" | 7.7" | 4 | 5 | 25° – 38° |
| February | 51° | 20° | 0.5" | 7.3" | 4 | 4 | 29° – 43° |
| March | 59° | 26° | 1.0" | 9.5" | 6 | 3 | 39° – 49° |
| April | 65° | 33° | 1.3" | 7.8" | 6 | 2 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 74° | 42° | 1.5" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| June | 85° | 51° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 88° | 56° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| August | 86° | 55° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| September | 80° | 47° | 1.2" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 69° | 35° | 1.0" | 4.8" | 5 | 2 | 45° – 58° |
| November | 57° | 25° | 0.7" | 8.3" | 4 | 3 | 32° – 48° |
| December | 48° | 18° | 0.6" | 9.1" | 4 | 8 | 27° – 37° |
| Year | 67° | 36° | 14.3" | 55.1" | 72 | 25 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 48°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Trinidad’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 Trinidad’s center.
- Snow: Trinidad, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Trinidad, CO, 0.4 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 Trinidad’s climate
What is the weather like in Trinidad?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 55 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Trinidad in winter?
December nights average 18°. About 146 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Trinidad get?
About 55 inches in a normal winter at Trinidad, CO, most of it in March and December, with snow on the ground about 25 days a year.
How hot does it get in Trinidad?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 56°. About 37 days a year reach 90° (Trinidad, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Trinidad?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 167 frost-free days, at Trinidad, CO.
What growing zone is Trinidad 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 Trinidad?
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 Trinidad getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Trinidad.
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.