Climateby Month

Fort Collins, CO climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 5,004 ft elevation

Summers in Fort Collins are warm; winters are chilly and snowy. Highs peak at 87°F in July and fall to 44°F in December. The wettest month is May (about 12 wet days) and the driest is January (about 4). Normal snowfall is about 51 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May.

Warmest month
87°F
July normal high
Coldest month
18°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
86
15.9 in of precipitation
Snow a year
51.4 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Fort Collins?

Normal highs range from 44°F in December to 87°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 45°F (7°C), low 18°F (-8°C) February: normal high 47°F (8°C), low 21°F (-6°C) March: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 29°F (-2°C) April: normal high 63°F (17°C), low 35°F (2°C) May: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 44°F (7°C) June: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 53°F (12°C) July: normal high 87°F (31°C), low 59°F (15°C) 87° 59° August: normal high 85°F (29°C), low 57°F (14°C) September: normal high 77°F (25°C), low 48°F (9°C) October: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 36°F (2°C) November: normal high 53°F (12°C), low 26°F (-3°C) December: normal high 44°F (7°C), low 18°F (-8°C) 44° 18° JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Fort Collins?

May has the most wet days (about 12); the year brings about 16 in of precipitation.

January: 4 wet days 4 February: 5 wet days March: 6 wet days April: 9 wet days May: 12 wet days 12 June: 9 wet days July: 9 wet days August: 9 wet days September: 7 wet days October: 6 wet days November: 5 wet days December: 4 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 51.4 in a year, most of it in March.

January: 6.7 in of snow February: 7.6 in of snow March: 9.4 in of snow 9.4 April: 6.2 in of snow May: 1.6 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.7 in of snow October: 4.1 in of snow November: 7.6 in of snow December: 7.5 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Fort Collins?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Denver International Airport, 56 mi SSE of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.

January: 9.7 hours of daylight February: 10.7 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.3 hours of daylight May: 14.4 hours of daylight June: 15.0 hours of daylight 15.0 July: 14.7 hours of daylight August: 13.7 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.1 hours of daylight November: 9.9 hours of daylight December: 9.3 hours of daylight 9.3 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Fort Collins, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 45°F18°F 0.4 in4 6.7 in 0 9.7 h
February 47°F21°F 0.5 in5 7.6 in 0 10.7 h
March 56°F29°F 1.3 in6 9.4 in 0 12.0 h
April 63°F35°F 2.1 in9 6.2 in 0 13.3 h
May 71°F44°F 2.7 in12 1.6 in 0 14.4 h
June 82°F53°F 1.9 in9 0.0 in 0 15.0 h
July 87°F59°F 1.6 in9 0.0 in 0 14.7 h
August 85°F57°F 1.4 in9 0.0 in 0 13.7 h
September 77°F48°F 1.4 in7 0.7 in 0 12.5 h
October 64°F36°F 1.3 in6 4.1 in 0 11.1 h
November 53°F26°F 0.7 in5 7.6 in 0 9.9 h
December 44°F18°F 0.5 in4 7.5 in 0 9.3 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Fort Collins

By our comfort score, the best month is May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 40129
Feb 45228
Mar 59933
Apr 701451
May 761761
Jun 671146
Jul 533413
Aug 56638
Sep 681432
Oct 661431
Nov 49625
Dec 380211

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Fort Collins

The last spring frost typically comes around May 2, and the first fall frost around Oct 7, leaving 157 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Fort Collins
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)May 2after May 14
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 7before Sep 24
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 20after May 5
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 17before Oct 2
Frost-free season157 daysunder 139 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Ft Collins (USC00053005), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Colorado.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 103°F (July 21, 2005); the lowest was -18°F (February 3, 1996).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Fort Collins

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth and frost dates: Ft Collins (USC00053005), 0.6 mi S of the city center, 5,004 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour: Denver Intl Airport (USW00003017), 57 mi SSE of the city center, 5,414 ft (410 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Cloud cover: Cheyenne (USW00024018), 42 mi NNE of the city center, 6,128 ft (1,124 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Denver International Airport (725650-03017), 56 mi SSE of the city center, 5,404 ft (400 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error