Front Range Flying Weather
CO · WY · 2006–2025 · 19 eligible airports
High-elevation plains regime (airports roughly 4,500-6,200 ft) where summer density altitude is a primary performance hazard. Strong westerlies aloft from late fall through spring generate mountain-wave turbulence, rotors, and damaging Chinook windstorms along the foothills, while spring upslope storms bring heavy wet snow and prolonged IFR to the corridor. Summer afternoons feature fast-building high-based thunderstorms moving off the mountains with dry microbursts, gust fronts, and hail. Conditions are otherwise sunny and VFR-dominant; early-morning summer and fall flying is excellent, and late winter through spring wave and upslope events are the most disruptive.
- Daylight VFR
- 90.0%
- VFR days/yr
- 314
- Mean wind
- 7.7 kt
- Most VFR month
- June
- Fewest VFR month
- February
- VFR Score
- 70
Regional standouts
VFR conditions by month
Regional average across eligible airports
| Month | VFR % |
|---|---|
| Jan | 88.9% |
| Feb | 82.7% |
| Mar | 87.3% |
| Apr | 86.2% |
| May | 86.0% |
| Jun | 94.6% |
| Jul | 94.6% |
| Aug | 94.6% |
| Sep | 91.6% |
| Oct | 88.9% |
| Nov | 90.7% |
| Dec | 89.7% |
Average wind by month
Regional average sustained wind
| Month | Mean wind (kt) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 7.4 kt |
| Feb | 8.1 kt |
| Mar | 8.7 kt |
| Apr | 9.4 kt |
| May | 8.5 kt |
| Jun | 8.0 kt |
| Jul | 7.2 kt |
| Aug | 6.9 kt |
| Sep | 6.9 kt |
| Oct | 7.3 kt |
| Nov | 7.3 kt |
| Dec | 7.5 kt |
Every airport in Front Range, ranked
Sort by any column. Best VFR Score first.
| KITRKit Carson County Airport | Burlington | 86.7 | 7.9 | 302 | 9 kt | 61 |
| KAKOColorado Plains Regional Airport | Akron | 87.8 | 7.6 | 306 | 10 kt | 63 |
| KCYSCheyenne Regional Jerry Olson Field | Cheyenne | 88.3 | 7.3 | 313 | 9 kt | 64 |
| KFLYMeadow Lake Airport | Colorado Springs | 88.6 | 6.5 | 308 | 7 kt | 65 |
| KAFFUSAF Academy Airfield | Colorado Springs | 88.4 | 5.5 | 312 | 7 kt | 66 |
| KLICLimon Municipal Airport | Limon | 88.0 | 6.7 | 301 | 7 kt | 67 |
| KDENDenver International Airport | Denver | 90.3 | 5.4 | 324 | 8 kt | 69 |
| KCOSCity of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport | Colorado Springs | 90.1 | 5.1 | 323 | 7 kt | 69 |
| KLMOVance Brand Airport | Longmont | 87.9 | 3.4 | 298 | 3 kt | 70 |
| KTORTorrington Municipal Airport | Torrington | 90.3 | 3.9 | 313 | 7 kt | 70 |
| KFMMFort Morgan Municipal Airport | Fort Morgan | 90.5 | 4.4 | 319 | 7 kt | 70 |
| KLAASoutheast Colorado Regional Airport | Lamar | 90.4 | 3.9 | 315 | 7 kt | 70 |
| KAPACentennial Airport | Denver | 90.2 | 5.1 | 324 | 6 kt | 71 |
| KFNLNorthern Colorado Regional Airport | Loveland | 89.8 | 4.3 | 304 | 5 kt | 72 |
| KGXYGreeley–Weld County Airport | Greeley | 89.8 | 4.3 | 312 | 5 kt | 73 |
| KTADPerry Stokes Airport | Trinidad | 92.1 | 3.8 | 326 | 8 kt | 74 |
| KLHXLa Junta Municipal Airport | La Junta | 92.0 | 3.7 | 323 | 8 kt | 75 |
| KBDUBoulder Municipal Airport | Boulder | 90.0 | 4.3 | 319 | 3 kt | 75 |
| KPUBPueblo Memorial Airport | Pueblo | 92.6 | 3.0 | 330 | 6 kt | 79 |
The pattern in Front Range
Across 2006–2025, the 19 eligible airports in Front Range reported VFR conditions during about 90.0% of valid daytime observations, with an estimated 314 VFR flying days per year and a mean surface wind of 7.7 kt. KPUB (Pueblo Memorial Airport) had the most VFR weather at 93.0%. KITR saw the most instrument conditions, at 7.9% IFR/LIFR. The lowest-ranked eligible field by VFR Score was KITR (Kit Carson County Airport).
How Front Range is defined
CO: exactly these 29 eastern-plains and I-25 corridor counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Cheyenne, Crowley, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Huerfano, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Yuma. Corridor counties that reach into the foothills (Larimer, Boulder, Jefferson, Douglas, El Paso) are included in full. All other CO counties (mountain and western-slope, including Teller and Fremont) belong to southern-rockies. WY: ONLY the 3 southeastern Cheyenne-upslope counties — Laramie, Platte, Goshen; all other WY counties belong to northern-rockies.
Educational use only. Historical weather rankings from ATIS Alerts are educational summaries of past observations — not a forecast, flight-planning tool, or safety rating. They do not replace current METARs, TAFs, NOTAMs, ATIS, or a weather briefing, and favorable history does not make any airport safe. Always check current conditions and use your own judgment before flight.