Photo: MyName (Wusel007) · CC BY-SA 3.0Walden has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 78°. Temperatures cover 72° across the year, low to high. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to May: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Walden at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Walden’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Walden’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Walden feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 258 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 40 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Walden, CO, 0.9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Walden’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −26°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 67 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Walden, CO, falls mostly in January, April, November and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; May is the wettest month and March the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Walden
Nearly all of the work is heating: a normal year has almost no cooling days. Months averaging under 55° run from September through June.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Walden, CO.
Living with Walden’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 4a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 31 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: July and August.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Walden from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (81%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Walden and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Walden yet.
Climates most like Walden’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walden, CO | 6° | 78° | 16" | 67" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Minot, ND | 2° | 82° | 17" | 52" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
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 Walden averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Walden compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Walden’s place among Colorado’s.
Walden weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Walden’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Walden, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 6° | 1.1" | 9.3" | 8 | 27 | 9° – 25° |
| February | 33° | 8° | 1.1" | 9.0" | 8 | 25 | 14° – 27° |
| March | 42° | 16° | 1.1" | 7.7" | 7 | 16 | 21° – 36° |
| April | 50° | 22° | 1.7" | 10.1" | 9 | 5 | 31° – 41° |
| May | 60° | 30° | 1.9" | 3.8" | 10 | 1 | 40° – 49° |
| June | 71° | 37° | 1.3" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 57° |
| July | 78° | 42° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 63° |
| August | 76° | 40° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 61° |
| September | 68° | 33° | 1.6" | 1.0" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 55° |
| October | 55° | 24° | 1.4" | 6.0" | 7 | 3 | 31° – 45° |
| November | 41° | 15° | 1.2" | 9.5" | 8 | 14 | 19° – 35° |
| December | 31° | 7° | 1.1" | 10.2" | 8 | 24 | 12° – 23° |
| Year | 53° | 23° | 16.2" | 67.1" | 103 | 115 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 9° to 25°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Walden’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 Walden’s center.
- Snow: Walden, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Walden, CO, 0.9 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 Walden’s climate
What is the weather like in Walden?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 67 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Walden in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 258 nights a year reach 32° or below and 40 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Walden get?
About 67 inches in a normal winter at Walden, CO, most of it in January, April, November and December, with snow on the ground about 115 days a year.
How hot does it get in Walden?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Walden, CO.
When is the first and last frost in Walden?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Walden, CO, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 258 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 31 days.
What growing zone is Walden in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −26°.
What is the best time of year to visit Walden?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), July and August. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Walden getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Walden.
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.