Dolores, CO climate
Dolores has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Dolores feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Dolores weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 17° | 1.9" | 15.6" | 8 | 21° – 35° |
| February | 42° | 20° | 1.8" | 15.4" | 8 | 26° – 38° |
| March | 50° | 26° | 1.6" | 9.7" | 8 | 33° – 43° |
| April | 57° | 31° | 1.4" | 6.5" | 7 | 40° – 48° |
| May | 67° | 39° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 7 | 48° – 57° |
| June | 78° | 47° | 0.6" | 0 | 4 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 83° | 54° | 1.6" | 0 | 9 | 64° – 72° |
| August | 80° | 53° | 1.9" | 0 | 12 | 64° – 71° |
| September | 73° | 46° | 2.0" | 0 | 9 | 54° – 63° |
| October | 61° | 35° | 1.7" | 2.5" | 8 | 44° – 52° |
| November | 49° | 25° | 1.5" | 9.8" | 7 | 30° – 44° |
| December | 39° | 18° | 1.6" | 9.9" | 6 | 22° – 34° |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 18.7" | 69.7" | 91 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Dolores
Dolores gets 19 inches of rain and melted snow a year. September is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 91 days a year.
About 147 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first one by October 8. That leaves about 147 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 83% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Dolores
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Dolores, 94% of that work is heating and 6% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How Dolores compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Dolores averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°). The shift is larger than in 89% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Dolores’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 21° to 35°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Common questions about Dolores’s climate
What is the coldest month in Dolores?
January, with a typical high of 39° and a low of 17°.
What is the hottest month in Dolores?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 54°. About 14 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Dolores get?
About 70 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Dolores?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 8, and the last spring frost by May 15.
What is the rainiest month in Dolores?
September, with 2.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 19 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Dolores itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Dolores, CO (1 mi, snow) and Yellow Jacket 4ne, CO (11 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.