Cost to Own
United StatesColoradoOuray CountyClimate Station RIDGWAY, CO US Distance 1.7 mi Normals 1991–2020

30-year climate normals

Ouray County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

85.4°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 6.5°F.

Ouray County gets 16.12" of precipitation a year and 81" of snow, and 34% of it falls in Jul, Aug, Sep.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

20° 40° 60° 80° JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
MonthAvg highAvg low PrecipSnow
January 40.3° 6.5° 1.02" 13.6"
February 44.0° 11.9° 0.92" 12.6"
March 52.5° 20.2° 1.27" 13.6"
April 58.8° 26.2° 1.43" 7.3"
May 69.7° 33.6° 1.50" 1.4"
June 81.3° 39.4° 0.81" 0.0"
July 85.4° 46.3° 1.87" 0.0"
August 82.3° 44.6° 2.04" 0.0"
September 75.8° 36.2° 1.59" 0.3"
October 63.9° 25.7° 1.36" 4.4"
November 50.7° 16.4° 1.21" 11.4"
December 39.9° 7.6° 1.10" 16.4"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 34% falling in the wettest three months (Jul, Aug, Sep).

January 1.02"
February 0.92"
March 1.27"
April 1.43"
May 1.50"
June 0.81"
July 1.87"
August 2.04"
September 1.59"
October 1.36"
November 1.21"
December 1.10"
Annual total 16.12"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 110
Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 7,694
Approximate annual cooling cost At 16.16¢/kWh, Colorado average $18
Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $435

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Ouray County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Ouray County?

Ouray County averages a high of 85.4°F in July and a low of 6.5°F in January. Annual precipitation is 16.12 inches, including 81 inches of snow.

When is the rainy season in Ouray County?

The wettest stretch is Jul, Aug, Sep, which accounts for 34% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Ouray County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 85.4°F. That drives 110 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Ouray County?

Yes. Ouray County averages 81 inches of snow a year.

Sources

  • Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station RIDGWAY, CO US (USC00057020), 1.7 miles from the county centroid.
  • Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
  • Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, Colorado residential average.
  • Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.