Beecher Island Battleground · Photo: Earl Alonzo Brininstool · Public domainVernon is drier than 91% of U.S. towns: 18 inches of precipitation a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 90° on average. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in July and the lightest in January. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 78% of U.S. towns. Central heating does most of its work from November to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Vernon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vernon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vernon’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Vernon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 151 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 7 and the first by October 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wray, CO, 11 miles from the town’s center, 320 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vernon’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 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Vernon 4ene, CO, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 77 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vernon
86% 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 Wray, CO.
Living with Vernon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
151 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 7 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 41% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Vernon from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vernon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Vernon yet.
Climates most like Vernon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon, CO | 18° | 90° | 18" | 38" |
| Perry, UT | 18° | 91° | 19" | 38" |
| Scottsbluff, NE | 15° | 90° | 15" | 43" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
| 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 Vernon averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+4.0°).
A bigger shift than in 88% 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 Vernon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vernon’s place among Colorado’s.
Vernon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vernon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Vernon 4ene, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 18° | 0.4" | 5.3" | 3 | 12 | 20° – 39° |
| February | 46° | 20° | 0.5" | 7.7" | 5 | 12 | 24° – 41° |
| March | 56° | 28° | 0.8" | 5.4" | 5 | 4 | 34° – 50° |
| April | 64° | 35° | 1.8" | 4.2" | 9 | 1 | 44° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 46° | 2.8" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 85° | 56° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| July | 90° | 62° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| August | 88° | 60° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| September | 80° | 51° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| October | 66° | 37° | 1.2" | 3.0" | 6 | 1 | 43° – 57° |
| November | 53° | 26° | 0.6" | 3.2" | 3 | 3 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 43° | 18° | 0.4" | 8.8" | 4 | 11 | 23° – 36° |
| Year | 66° | 38° | 18.1" | 38.2" | 77 | 44 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 39°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Vernon’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 Vernon’s center.
- Snow: Vernon 4ene, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wray, CO, 11 miles from the town’s center, 320 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 Vernon’s climate
What is the weather like in Vernon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vernon in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 165 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 20°.
How much snow does Vernon get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Vernon 4ene, CO, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 44 days a year.
How hot does it get in Vernon?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 62°. About 54 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Wray, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Vernon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 7 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 151 frost-free days, at Wray, CO.
What growing zone is Vernon 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 Vernon?
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 Vernon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Vernon.
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.