Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Yuma reaches 100° on about 10 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 17°. The wettest month is July; the driest is January. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 91% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 1 to October 12.
A year in Yuma at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Yuma’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Yuma’s place in Colorado beside it.
What a year in Yuma feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 164 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Yuma, CO, 0.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Yuma’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 Yuma, CO, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 65 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Yuma
85% 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 Yuma, CO.
Living with Yuma’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
164 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 1 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 1.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 45% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Yuma from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Yuma and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Yuma yet.
Climates most like Yuma’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuma, CO | 17° | 91° | 17" | 23" |
| American Fork, UT | 20° | 92° | 17" | 26" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
| White Rock, NM | 18° | 89° | 13" | 20" |
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 Yuma averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 65% 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 Yuma compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Yuma’s place among Colorado’s.
Yuma weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Yuma’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Yuma, CO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 17° | 0.3" | 3.9" | 2 | 19° – 39° |
| February | 46° | 19° | 0.4" | 3.1" | 3 | 23° – 41° |
| March | 56° | 28° | 0.8" | 3.7" | 3 | 34° – 49° |
| April | 63° | 34° | 1.6" | 1.9" | 7 | 43° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 45° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 9 | 51° – 64° |
| June | 85° | 55° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 66° – 77° |
| July | 91° | 61° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 71° – 81° |
| August | 88° | 59° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 69° – 78° |
| September | 80° | 50° | 1.2" | 0.2" | 5 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 36° | 1.1" | 1.4" | 5 | 42° – 57° |
| November | 53° | 26° | 0.5" | 2.8" | 3 | 30° – 46° |
| December | 43° | 17° | 0.4" | 5.7" | 3 | 21° – 35° |
| Year | 66° | 37° | 17.0" | 22.8" | 65 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 39°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Yuma’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 Yuma’s center.
- Snow: Yuma, CO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Yuma, CO, 0.3 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 Yuma’s climate
What is the weather like in Yuma?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 81% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Yuma in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 155 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Yuma get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Yuma, CO, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Yuma?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 61°. About 59 days a year reach 90° and 10 reach 100° (Yuma, CO).
When is the first and last frost in Yuma?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 164 frost-free days, at Yuma, CO.
What growing zone is Yuma in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Yuma?
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 Yuma getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Yuma.
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.