Fort Collins, CO climate
Fort Collins has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Fort Collins feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Fort Collins 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 | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 16° | 0.4" | 6.0" | 4 | 13 | 21° – 36° |
| February | 46° | 18° | 0.5" | 7.8" | 6 | 11 | 27° – 39° |
| March | 56° | 26° | 1.1" | 8.9" | 6 | 5 | 34° – 49° |
| April | 63° | 33° | 2.0" | 6.3" | 8 | 2 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 72° | 43° | 2.5" | 1.4" | 11 | 1 | 51° – 61° |
| June | 83° | 51° | 1.8" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| July | 89° | 58° | 1.6" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| August | 87° | 55° | 1.4" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| September | 79° | 47° | 1.3" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| October | 65° | 34° | 1.1" | 3.8" | 6 | 2 | 42° – 56° |
| November | 52° | 24° | 0.7" | 6.2" | 4 | 5 | 30° – 44° |
| December | 44° | 16° | 0.4" | 8.7" | 4 | 14 | 23° – 35° |
| Year | 65° | 35° | 14.7" | 49.3" | 80 | 52 |
“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 Fort Collins
Fort Collins gets 15 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 52 days of the year.
About 154 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first one by October 6. That leaves about 154 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 77% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Collins
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Fort Collins, 91% of that work is heating and 9% 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.
Fort Collins and its neighbors
Fort Collins borders 2 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.9°. Windsor has both the coldest January nights (15°) and the hottest July afternoons (90°). Fort Collins’s January low is 16° and its July high 89°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins averaged 2.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+4.3°). The shift is larger than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Fort Collins’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 36°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Common questions about Fort Collins’s climate
What is the coldest month in Fort Collins?
January, with a typical high of 44° and a low of 16°.
What is the hottest month in Fort Collins?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 58°. About 32 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Fort Collins get?
About 49 inches in a normal winter, most of it in March.
When is the first frost in Fort Collins?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 6, and the last spring frost by May 3.
What is the rainiest month in Fort Collins?
May, with 2.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 15 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Fort Collins itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Fcl, CO (2 mi, snow) and Ft Collins 4 E, CO (3 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.