Climateby Month

Vail, CO climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 8,179 ft elevation

Summers in Vail are mild; winters are very cold and snowy. Highs peak at 77°F in July and fall to 28°F in December. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 7 to 12 a month. Normal snowfall is about 189 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is June and August.

Warmest month
77°F
July normal high
Coldest month
7°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
116
22.4 in of precipitation
Snow a year
189.2 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Vail?

Normal highs range from 28°F in December to 77°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80° January: normal high 29°F (-2°C), low 7°F (-14°C) February: normal high 33°F (1°C), low 9°F (-13°C) March: normal high 42°F (6°C), low 17°F (-8°C) April: normal high 49°F (9°C), low 24°F (-4°C) May: normal high 60°F (16°C), low 31°F (-1°C) June: normal high 71°F (22°C), low 36°F (2°C) July: normal high 77°F (25°C), low 42°F (6°C) 77° 42° August: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 41°F (5°C) September: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 34°F (1°C) October: normal high 54°F (12°C), low 25°F (-4°C) November: normal high 38°F (3°C), low 15°F (-9°C) December: normal high 28°F (-2°C), low 7°F (-14°C) 28° 7° JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Vail?

January has the most wet days (about 12); the year brings about 22 in of precipitation.

January: 12 wet days 12 February: 11 wet days March: 10 wet days April: 9 wet days May: 9 wet days June: 7 wet days 7 July: 10 wet days August: 11 wet days September: 9 wet days October: 7 wet days November: 10 wet days December: 11 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 189.2 in a year, most of it in February.

January: 35.3 in of snow February: 35.7 in of snow 35.7 March: 28.2 in of snow April: 21.2 in of snow May: 4.8 in of snow June: 0.6 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.9 in of snow October: 8.6 in of snow November: 25.9 in of snow December: 28.0 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Vail?

Humidity data is not available for this location.

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: 14.7 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 Vail, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowDaylight
January 29°F7°F 2.0 in12 35.3 in 9.7 h
February 33°F9°F 2.0 in11 35.7 in 10.7 h
March 42°F17°F 1.8 in10 28.2 in 12.0 h
April 49°F24°F 2.4 in9 21.2 in 13.3 h
May 60°F31°F 2.0 in9 4.8 in 14.4 h
June 71°F36°F 1.2 in7 0.6 in 14.9 h
July 77°F42°F 1.8 in10 0.0 in 14.7 h
August 74°F41°F 1.8 in11 0.0 in 13.7 h
September 67°F34°F 2.0 in9 0.9 in 12.4 h
October 54°F25°F 1.8 in7 8.6 in 11.2 h
November 38°F15°F 2.0 in10 25.9 in 10.0 h
December 28°F7°F 1.7 in11 28.0 in 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 Vail

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

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 210730
Feb 270723
Mar 390612
Apr 48166
May 701461
Jun 882440
Jul 822260
Aug 852670
Sep 762160
Oct 50554
Nov 310617
Dec 220630

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. Comfortable days here are judged by temperature only (no humidity station nearby). How the score works.

Frost dates in Vail

The last spring frost typically comes around Jun 21, and the first fall frost around Sep 7, leaving 77 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Vail
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Jun 21after Jul 9
First fall frost (32°F)Sep 7before Aug 26
Last hard freeze (28°F)May 31after Jun 18
First hard freeze (28°F)Sep 21before Sep 7
Frost-free season77 daysunder 53 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: Vail (USC00058575), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Colorado.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 89°F (July 15, 1991); the lowest was -23°F (February 3, 2011).

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

Near Vail

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall and frost dates: Vail (USC00058575), 1.1 mi E of the city center, 8,304 ft (125 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snow depth: Dillon 1 E (USC00052281), 18 mi E of the city center, 9,065 ft (886 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: humidity and wind by hour, cloud cover and daily humidity and wind (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

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