Colorado Springs sits at the eastern foot of the Rocky Mountains in central Colorado, beneath Pikes Peak at around 1,840 metres above sea level, at approximately 38.83°N, 104.82°W. Its high, dry mountain-front position gives it a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) — with warm summers and cold, sunny winters — and abundant sunshine.

Summer, from June to August, is warm rather than hot, with July the warmest month — average highs around 29°C — tempered by the altitude, so nights cool sharply. It is the wettest season, when afternoon thunderstorms build over the mountains and drift east, bringing brief downpours, hail and dramatic lightning over the plains.

Winter, from December to February, is cold and sunny, with January the coldest month — average highs around 6°C and lows near -9°C — but the sun shines most days, and warm chinook winds descending from the Rockies can raise the temperature by 20°C within hours, melting the snow. Snowfall is moderate but frequent.

Colorado Springs is dry, receiving only around 400–430 mm of precipitation a year, with a clear summer maximum from thunderstorms; the city receives around 100 cm of snow a year, though the strong sun and chinook winds melt it quickly. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Colorado Springs sits directly beneath the Rockies, where the chinook — a warm, dry föhn wind spilling down the eastern slope — can raise the temperature dozens of degrees in an hour and strip away a snowpack in a day. The same mountains fuel the violent summer hailstorms that make the Front Range one of America's hail capitals.

To follow any single measurement in Colorado Springs more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.