Climate in Denver (Colorado)

The climate of Denver, the capital and largest city of Colorado, is continental, with cold winters and hot summers.
The city is located at a fairly low latitude (just below the 40th parallel), but very far away from the sea, and at 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) above sea level, on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. The result is a climate characterized by strong temperature changes between day and night, as well as by rapid changes in weather and temperature, depending on the prevailing air mass.

Another feature of Denver's climate is the chinook, the warm, dry wind that blows from the Rocky Mountains, and is capable of raising the temperature by several degrees. Due to this wind, the temperature can reach 18/20 °C (64/68 °F) even in winter, and 36/38 °C (97/100 °F) in summer.

The average temperature in December (which is often the coldest month of the year in the western United States) is of -0.5 °C (31 °F), that of July is of 24 °C (75 °F).

Precipitation in Denver is not abundant: just 370 millimeters (14.5 inches) per year. Winter is the driest season, while summer is the wettest, due to afternoon thunderstorms, sometimes accompanied by hail.
Although the climate is fairly dry, the period in which it can snow is long (generally from mid-October to late April), so the amount of snow that falls in a year is considerable (on average, 125 cm or 49.5 inches).

In winter, the mountain sun warms up the air a lot, but in the evening, if the chinook doesn't blow, the temperature quickly drops below freezing.
Cold spells from Canada can be intense, and accompanied by blizzard blasts. Generally, the temperature reaches -20 °C (-4 °F) every year, but sometimes it can reach -30 °C (-22 °F) or below. The coldest record is -32 °C (-25.5 °F) and was set in February 1951, in January 1963 and in December 1990.

In summer, it is generally cool at night and hot during the day: between night and day, there are almost 20 degrees Celsius of difference (and sometimes even more).
Given the high daily temperature range, even during the hottest periods, the nights remain cool or at least acceptable. Moreover, being that the humidity is low, the heat of day is bearable (but the sun beats down hard).
In June 2018, the temperature reached 40.6 °C (105 °F), and 38.3 °C (101 °F) at the Centennial Airport, located south of the city, at almost 1,800 meters (5,900 feet).

In spring and autumn, it is generally cold at night and warm during the day. For example, in early October, it can still reach 28 °C (82 °F), but at night, it can already go down to the freezing point. Although it can snow in April and October, the snow generally melts quickly, because the temperature during the day exceeds freezing by a lot.



In Denver, the sun often shines all year round, and shines for a total of 3,100 hours. In particular, the winter sunshine is remarkable.

Best Time

Given the climatic instability and the strong temperature changes, it is difficult to find the best time to visit Denver, however, you can choose spring and autumn, and in particular, from mid-May to the beginning of June, and from mid-September to the beginning of October. However, summer is the best season to visit the Colorado mountains (unless you want to ski), since they are cold in the rest of the year.

Denver - Climate data

In Denver, the average temperature of the coldest month (December) is of -0.4 °C (31.2 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 24 °C (75.1 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 370 millimeters (14.6 inches) per year: it is therefore quite scarce. It ranges from 8.9 mm (0.4 in) in the driest month (December) to 55 mm (2.2 in) in the wettest ones (May, July) Here is the average precipitation.
There are on average around 3110 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.

Denver - Weather by month

Based on the period 1991-2020

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January is generally a very cold month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of -0.2 °C (32 °F), with a minimum of -7.4 °C (18.7 °F) and a maximum of 7 °C (44.6 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -20 °C (-3.5 °F). However, it dropped to -26.7 °C (-16.1 °F) in January 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 18.5 °C (65.5 °F). However, it reached 23.9 °C (75 °F) in January 2015.
Precipitation amounts to only 9.7 mm (0.4 in), distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 72% of the time.
The average humidity is 53%.
The average wind speed is 15 kph (10 mph).

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February is generally a cold month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 0.4 °C (33 °F), with a minimum of -6.8 °C (19.8 °F) and a maximum of 7.6 °C (45.7 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -19 °C (-2.5 °F). However, it dropped to -27.8 °C (-18 °F) in February 2014.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 19.5 °C (67.5 °F). However, it reached 26.7 °C (80.1 °F) in February 2017.
Precipitation amounts to 10 mm (0.4 in), distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 40 minutes.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 71% of the time.
The average humidity is 54%.
The average wind speed is 16 kph (10 mph).

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March is generally a quite cold month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 5.4 °C (42 °F), with a minimum of -2.5 °C (27.5 °F) and a maximum of 13.2 °C (55.8 °F).
On the coldest nights, which normally occur at the beginning of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -13 °C (9 °F). However, it dropped to -21.1 °C (-6 °F) in March 2019.
On the warmest days, which normally occur at the end of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 24 °C (75.5 °F). However, it reached 27.8 °C (82 °F) in March 2010.
Precipitation amounts to 20 mm (0.8 in), distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 69% of the time.
The average humidity is 47%.
The average wind speed is 17 kph (11 mph).

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April is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 8.8 °C (48 °F), with a minimum of 1.1 °C (34 °F) and a maximum of 16.5 °C (61.7 °F).
On the coldest nights, which normally occur at the beginning of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -7 °C (19 °F). However, it dropped to -13.9 °C (7 °F) in April 1997.
On the warmest days, which normally occur at the end of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 27 °C (80 °F). However, it reached 31.1 °C (88 °F) in April 2012.
Precipitation amounts to 45 mm (1.8 in), distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 69% of the time.
The average humidity is 48%.
The average wind speed is 19 kph (12 mph).

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May is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 14.1 °C (57 °F), with a minimum of 6.4 °C (43.5 °F) and a maximum of 21.8 °C (71.2 °F).
On the coldest nights, which normally occur at the beginning of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -1.5 °C (29.5 °F). However, it dropped to -7.2 °C (19 °F) in May 2013.
On the warmest days, which normally occur at the end of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 31 °C (88 °F). However, it reached 34.4 °C (93.9 °F) in May 2003.
Precipitation amounts to 55 mm (2.2 in), distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 65% of the time.
The average humidity is 52%.
The average wind speed is 17 kph (10 mph).

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June is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 20.2 °C (68 °F), with a minimum of 11.7 °C (53.1 °F) and a maximum of 28.6 °C (83.5 °F).
On the coldest nights, which normally occur at the beginning of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 5 °C (41 °F). However, it dropped to -0.6 °C (30.9 °F) in June 2007.
On the warmest days, which normally occur at the end of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 35.5 °C (96 °F). However, it reached 40.6 °C (105.1 °F) in June 2012.
Precipitation amounts to 50 mm (2 in), distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 55 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 70% of the time.
The average humidity is 45%.
The average wind speed is 17 kph (10 mph).

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July, the warmest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 24 °C (75 °F), with a minimum of 15.7 °C (60.3 °F) and a maximum of 32.2 °C (90 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 11 °C (51.5 °F). However, it dropped to 6.7 °C (44.1 °F) in July 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 37.5 °C (99.5 °F). However, it reached 40.6 °C (105.1 °F) in July 2005.
Precipitation amounts to 55 mm (2.2 in), distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 35 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 72% of the time.
The average humidity is 43%.
The average wind speed is 16 kph (10 mph).

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August is generally a warm to hot month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 22.7 °C (73 °F), with a minimum of 14.6 °C (58.3 °F) and a maximum of 30.8 °C (87.4 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 9.5 °C (49 °F). However, it dropped to 5.6 °C (42.1 °F) in August 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 36 °C (97 °F). However, it reached 40 °C (104 °F) in August 2008.
Precipitation amounts to 40 mm (1.6 in), distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 73% of the time.
The average humidity is 44%.
The average wind speed is 15 kph (9 mph).

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September is generally a warm month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 18.2 °C (65 °F), with a minimum of 10 °C (50 °F) and a maximum of 26.4 °C (79.5 °F).
On the coldest nights, which normally occur at the end of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 2.5 °C (36 °F). However, it dropped to -3 °C (26.6 °F) in September 1996.
On the warmest days, which normally occur at the beginning of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 34 °C (93.5 °F). However, it reached 37.8 °C (100 °F) in September 2019.
Precipitation amounts to 35 mm (1.4 in), distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 9 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 73% of the time.
The average humidity is 44%.
The average wind speed is 15 kph (9 mph).

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October is generally a mild month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 10.6 °C (51 °F), with a minimum of 2.8 °C (37 °F) and a maximum of 18.5 °C (65.3 °F).
On the coldest nights, which normally occur at the end of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -6.5 °C (20 °F). However, it dropped to -16.1 °C (3 °F) in October 1997.
On the warmest days, which normally occur at the beginning of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 29 °C (84 °F). However, it reached 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) in October 2005.
Precipitation amounts to 25 mm (1 in), distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 73% of the time.
The average humidity is 47%.
The average wind speed is 15 kph (10 mph).

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November is generally a quite cold month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of 4.2 °C (39 °F), with a minimum of -3.3 °C (26.1 °F) and a maximum of 11.6 °C (52.9 °F).
On the coldest nights, which normally occur at the end of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -14.5 °C (6 °F). However, it dropped to -25.6 °C (-14.1 °F) in November 2014.
On the warmest days, which normally occur at the beginning of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 23.5 °C (74 °F). However, it reached 27.2 °C (81 °F) in November 2017.
Precipitation amounts to 15 mm (0.6 in), distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 65% of the time.
The average humidity is 50%.
The average wind speed is 15 kph (9 mph).

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December, the coldest month of the year, is generally a very cold month. However, there are remarkable differences between night and day. The average temperature is of -0.4 °C (31 °F), with a minimum of -7.6 °C (18.3 °F) and a maximum of 6.7 °C (44.1 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around -19.5 °C (-3 °F). However, it dropped to -28.3 °C (-18.9 °F) in December 2008.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 18.5 °C (65.5 °F). However, it reached 22.2 °C (72 °F) in December 1998.
Precipitation amounts to only 8.9 mm (0.4 in), distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 25 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 67% of the time.
The average humidity is 53%.
The average wind speed is 15 kph (10 mph).