Monarch Pass Weather & Road Conditions

Radar, DOT cameras and live pavement conditions at the summit of Monarch Pass and on both climbs — plus closures, road work and who sets chain control on US 50.

Elevation 11,312 ft · Updated Sep 14, 2026 7:18 PM MDT · Mostly dry

Lowest 46°F · Highest wind 12 mph

At the summit: Dry · 46°F · road surface est. 46°F · 11 mph wind · gusting 21 mph

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Monarch Pass carries US 50 over the Continental Divide at 11,312 feet, west of Poncha Springs. It is the high point of the main route across southern Colorado, and snow and wind reach the summit well before they reach either valley.

  • Elevation: 11,312 ft
  • Carries: US 50
  • State: Colorado
  • Road system: U.S. Numbered Highway System

Temperature

Wind Speed

Rain Precip.

Coverage

Weather data from Sep 14, 2026 7:18 PM MDT

Up to 144 hours

Route geometry © openrouteservice.org · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Lowest temp.

46°F

Highest temp.

62°F

Highest wind

12 mph

Pressure

29.62-29.98 inHg

Monarch Pass Closures & Road Blocks Today

No full closures are reported on Monarch Pass as of Sep 14, 2026 7:18 PM MDT, and no lane closures or roadworks either. Always check with the responsible state DOT before setting off.

Monarch Pass Chain Control & Traction Requirements

Chain and traction requirements on Monarch Pass are set by the state highway authority, and they are imposed and lifted through the day as a storm moves through. This page does not carry them — check cotrip.org ↗ before you set off.

What this page can tell you is the surface at the summit, from radar and surface analysis: currently dry, with the road surface estimated at 46°F. The road surface figure is an estimate derived from air temperature, not a measurement — bridges and overpasses run colder than the number shown.

Monarch Pass Weather Forecast: Next 6 Days

At the summit, 11,312 ft. Each day shows its warmest and coldest hour, and the worst driving conditions forecast anywhere in it — not the average, because the hour that closes a pass is the one worth knowing about.

  1. Rest of today Sep 14

    48°F 46°F

    Dry

    Wind to 5 mph

  2. Tue Sep 15

    66°F 44°F

    Wet worst around 3 PM

    Wind to 11 mph
    0.24 in precipitation

  3. Wed Sep 16

    64°F 42°F

    Wet worst around 4 PM

    Wind to 15 mph
    0.17 in precipitation

  4. Thu Sep 17

    62°F 42°F

    Wet worst around 5 PM

    Wind to 7 mph
    0.11 in precipitation

  5. Fri Sep 18

    63°F 42°F

    Wet worst around 4 PM

    Wind to 10 mph
    0.06 in precipitation

  6. Sat Sep 19

    64°F 41°F

    Moist

    Wind to 12 mph
    0.01 in precipitation

Forecast, not a measurement — from the same weather service that draws this page's radar and road colors, model run 8 hours ago. Days run on Mountain time, the clock the pass keeps — not the reader's.

Monarch Pass Traffic Cameras

US 50 MP 199.35 EB at Monarch Pass (Looking East)

Photo from — last answered 2 hours ago, so this is the last frame we have

Photo from camera: US 50 MP 199.35 EB at Monarch Pass (Looking East)

US 50 MP 199.35 EB at Monarch Pass (Looking West)

Photo from — last answered 2 hours ago, so this is the last frame we have

Photo from camera: US 50 MP 199.35 EB at Monarch Pass (Looking West)

Monarch Pass Road Weather FAQ

Is Monarch Pass open right now?
No full closures are reported on Monarch Pass. No lane closures or roadworks are reported either.
What are Monarch Pass road conditions today?
The map on this page colors the route along Monarch Pass by what is on the pavement right now — dry, wet, slush, snow or ice — from radar and surface data, last updated Sep 14, 2026 7:18 PM MDT. Right now temperatures run from 46°F to 62°F and the strongest wind is 12 mph.
Do I need chains on Monarch Pass today?
Chain and traction requirements are set by the state highway authority and change through the day, so check them directly before you set off at cotrip.org. This page does not carry them. What this page can tell you is that the surface at the summit is dry, and the road surface is estimated at 46°F.
What is the weather forecast for Monarch Pass this week?
At the summit, Sep 14 to Sep 19: highs 48-66°F, lows 41-46°F. No snow or ice is forecast on the road in that time. It is a forecast rather than a measurement, and the later days are less certain than the earlier ones.
Are there live traffic cameras on Monarch Pass?
Yes. This page shows 2 live views on Monarch Pass from the state transportation departments' own camera feeds, further down the page, refreshed each time you load it.
How often are Monarch Pass road conditions updated?
The road surface and weather layers are rebuilt whenever this page is opened with data more than ten minutes old, and refreshed on a schedule in between, so nothing here is more than about two hours old even on a road nobody has looked at. Closures and road blocks are re-imported from the state 511 feeds every fifteen minutes, and the written state-by-state summaries are refreshed daily. Every section on this page carries the time its data was fetched.

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