Climateby Month

Highlands Ranch, CO climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 5,695 ft elevation

Highlands Ranch has warm summers and chilly and snowy winters. Highs peak at 84°F in July and fall to 42°F in December. The wettest month is August (about 10 wet days) and the driest is January (about 4). Normal snowfall is about 62 in a year. By our comfort score the best months are May and June.

Warmest month
84°F
July normal high
Coldest month
14°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
80
18.2 in of precipitation
Snow a year
62.2 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Highlands Ranch?

Normal highs range from 42°F in December to 84°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 43°F (6°C), low 14°F (-10°C) February: normal high 46°F (8°C), low 15°F (-9°C) March: normal high 54°F (12°C), low 22°F (-6°C) April: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 29°F (-2°C) May: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 38°F (3°C) June: normal high 79°F (26°C), low 47°F (8°C) July: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 54°F (12°C) 84° 54° August: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 52°F (11°C) September: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 43°F (6°C) October: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 31°F (-1°C) November: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 23°F (-5°C) December: normal high 42°F (6°C), low 14°F (-10°C) 42° 14° JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Highlands Ranch?

August has the most wet days (about 10); the year brings about 18 in of precipitation.

January: 4 wet days 4 February: 5 wet days March: 6 wet days April: 8 wet days May: 10 wet days June: 8 wet days July: 9 wet days August: 10 wet days 10 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 62.2 in a year, most of it in December.

January: 8.7 in of snow February: 10.4 in of snow March: 9.6 in of snow April: 8.5 in of snow May: 1.2 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.6 in of snow October: 3.7 in of snow November: 7.9 in of snow December: 11.6 in of snow 11.6 JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Highlands Ranch?

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 Buckley Air Force Base, 16 mi NE of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 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: 14.9 hours of daylight 14.9 July: 14.6 hours of daylight August: 13.7 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.2 hours of daylight November: 10.0 hours of daylight December: 9.4 hours of daylight 9.4 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Highlands Ranch, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 43°F14°F 0.6 in4 8.7 in 0 9.7 h
February 46°F15°F 0.7 in5 10.4 in 0 10.7 h
March 54°F22°F 1.7 in6 9.6 in 0 12.0 h
April 59°F29°F 2.4 in8 8.5 in 0 13.3 h
May 68°F38°F 2.5 in10 1.2 in 0 14.4 h
June 79°F47°F 1.8 in8 0.0 in 0 14.9 h
July 84°F54°F 1.7 in9 0.0 in 0 14.6 h
August 83°F52°F 2.0 in10 0.0 in 0 13.7 h
September 76°F43°F 1.7 in7 0.6 in 0 12.4 h
October 64°F31°F 1.5 in6 3.7 in 0 11.2 h
November 51°F23°F 0.9 in5 7.9 in 0 10.0 h
December 42°F14°F 0.7 in4 11.6 in 0 9.4 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 Highlands Ranch

By our comfort score, the best months are May and June.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 380211
Feb 44238
Mar 55745
Apr 651253
May 741761
Jun 731443
Jul 587510
Aug 60855
Sep 681442
Oct 651542
Nov 50636
Dec 371312

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 Highlands Ranch

The last spring frost typically comes around May 5, and the first fall frost around Oct 8, leaving 154 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Highlands Ranch
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)May 5after May 17
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 8before Sep 25
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 25after May 9
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 17before Oct 4
Frost-free season154 daysunder 135 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: Denver Centennial Airport (USW00093067), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Colorado.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 100°F (June 26, 2012, and 1 other day); the lowest was -30°F (December 24, 1998).

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

Near Highlands Ranch

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature: Strontia Springs Dam (USC00058022), 12 mi SW of the city center, 5,840 ft (145 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Rain, snowfall and snow depth: Kassler (USC00054452), 8.0 mi WSW of the city center, 5,587 ft (108 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Denver Centennial Airport (USW00093067), 6.5 mi E of the city center, 5,883 ft (188 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Cloud cover: Aurora Buckley Fld ANGB (USW00023036), 16 mi NE of the city center, 5,663 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Buckley Air Force Base (724695-23036), 16 mi NE of the city center, 5,663 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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