Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Vilas reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 19°. Seasons differ by 74°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 92% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 30, with the first autumn frost due around October 14.
A year in Vilas at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vilas’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vilas’ place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Vilas feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 166 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Walsh 1 W, CO, 8 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vilas’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Walsh 1 W, CO, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 70 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vilas
81% of the work is heating. 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 Walsh 1 W, CO.
Living with Vilas’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
166 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Vilas from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (26%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vilas and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Vilas yet.
Climates most like Vilas’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vilas, CO | 19° | 92° | 17" | 23" |
| West Haven, UT | 21° | 92° | 18" | 23" |
| Colby, KS | 17° | 91° | 20" | 27" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
| Hereford, TX | 23° | 92° | 19" | 14" |
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 Vilas averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 79% 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 Vilas compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vilas’ place among Colorado’s.
Vilas weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vilas’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Walsh 1 W, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 19° | 0.4" | 4.5" | 3 | 6 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 51° | 22° | 0.4" | 3.4" | 3 | 5 | 29° – 44° |
| March | 60° | 29° | 0.9" | 4.2" | 5 | 3 | 39° – 52° |
| April | 68° | 36° | 1.3" | 1.8" | 7 | 1 | 46° – 57° |
| May | 78° | 47° | 2.0" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| June | 88° | 57° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| July | 92° | 62° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| August | 90° | 60° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| September | 82° | 52° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| October | 70° | 39° | 1.3" | 1.0" | 5 | 1 | 48° – 60° |
| November | 57° | 27° | 0.6" | 2.6" | 4 | 3 | 35° – 48° |
| December | 47° | 20° | 0.6" | 5.3" | 4 | 6 | 28° – 38° |
| Year | 69° | 39° | 16.7" | 23.0" | 70 | 25 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 39°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Vilas’ 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 Vilas’ center.
- Snow: Walsh 1 W, CO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Walsh 1 W, CO, 8 miles from the town’s center, 170 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 Vilas’ climate
What is the weather like in Vilas?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vilas in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 143 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Vilas get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Walsh 1 W, CO, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 25 days a year.
How hot does it get in Vilas?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 62°. About 69 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Walsh 1 W, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Vilas?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 166 frost-free days, at Walsh 1 W, CO.
What growing zone is Vilas in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Vilas?
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 Vilas getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 79% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Vilas.
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.