Colorado design temperatures
Outdoor heating and cooling design conditions for 8 Colorado weather stations. Choose the station nearest to you in distance and elevation, and check whether your building department specifies its own values.
| Station | Elevation | 99.6 % heating | 99 % heating | 1 % cooling / MCWB | 0.4 % cooling / MCWB | Use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckley ANGB/DenverWMO 724695 · 1967–1996 | 5,663 ft | 0 °F | 5 °F | 90 / 59 °F | 92 / 59 °F | Load calculator |
| Denver/StapletonWMO 724690 · 1973–1995 | 5,332 ft | −2 °F | 4 °F | 91 / 60 °F | 93 / 60 °F | Load calculator |
| Fort Carson/ButtsWMO 724680 · 1967–1996 | 5,870 ft | 5 °F | 10 °F | 90 / 60 °F | 93 / 61 °F | Load calculator |
| Grand JunctionWMO 724760 · 1973–1996 | 4,839 ft | 2 °F | 8 °F | 94 / 61 °F | 97 / 62 °F | Load calculator |
| La JuntaWMO 724635 · 1973–1996 | 4,239 ft | −2 °F | 4 °F | 98 / 65 °F | 101 / 65 °F | Load calculator |
| Peterson AFB/Col. SpringsWMO 724660 · 1973–1996 | 6,172 ft | −1 °F | 5 °F | 88 / 58 °F | 90 / 58 °F | Load calculator |
| PuebloWMO 724640 · 1967–1996 | 4,721 ft | −2 °F | 5 °F | 96 / 63 °F | 98 / 63 °F | Load calculator |
| Trinidad/Animas Co.WMO 724645 · 1973–1996 | 5,761 ft | 0 °F | 7 °F | 90 / 61 °F | 93 / 61 °F | Load calculator |
Using these values
- Heat-loss calculations for homes commonly use the 99 % heating value, and cooling loads the 1 % dry bulb with its mean coincident wet bulb (MCWB). The 99.6 % and 0.4 % values are more conservative.
- “Load calculator” opens the heating and cooling load calculator with that station’s 99 % and 1 % temperatures and its design moisture difference (outdoor air at the 1 % condition versus 75 °F, 50 % RH indoors, at the station’s elevation).
- Source: U.S. Air Force Combat Climatology Center and NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Engineering Weather Data (1999; public domain). Each station’s period of record is shown under its name; they end by 1996, and the climate has warmed since, so check local requirements before relying on a value for a permit.