Denver, CO Climate & Monthly Averages

Colorado, United States 🇺🇸 · semi-arid climate
Annual avg
49°
Hottest month
July
Coldest month
January
Rainy days / yr
78
Sunshine
10.3 h/day
Right now: 84° and partly cloudy - see live conditions

The climate of Denver

Denver spends most of the year cold. July, the warmest month, averages 88°F (31°C) by day - a figure many cities in our dataset pass in early spring - while January holds at 41°F (5°C) with 78 wet days a year across the whole calendar.

Climate quick facts

  • Hottest month: July - highs near 88°F (31°C)
  • Coldest month: January - highs near 41°F (5°C)
  • Decade extremes (2015-2024): 101°F (38°C) high · -34°F (-36°C) low
  • Wettest month: May (13 rainy days) · Sunniest: July (12.8 h sun/day)
  • Climate type: semi-arid
  • Annual swing: 26°C between the average warmest and coolest month · day to night: 15°C
  • Snow: about 26 days a year
  • Months averaging 30°C or hotter: 2
  • Average humidity: 54%

Temperatures through the year

January bottoms out at 41°F (5°C) in daylight, 15°F (-9°C) after dark. July is the warm end of the year, averaging 88°F (31°C) by day and 60°F (16°C) overnight. The gridded 2015-2024 daily record for this location tops out at 101°F (38°C) and bottoms at -34°F (-36°C) - decade extremes, not all-time station records. Relative humidity averages 54% across the year, drier than all but 9% of the 3496 cities in our dataset.

Rain, sun and snow

May is the wettest month at 3.9 inches (98 mm) over 13 days; December is the driest. July is the brightest month at 12.8 hours of sun a day, against an annual average of 10.3 - sunnier than roughly 75% of the cities we track. Between the average July and the average January lie 26°C, a wider spread than roughly 89% of the cities we track.

How Denver compares

  • Afternoons run 15°C above the following night - a bigger day-to-night gap than any other city in our 3496-city dataset.
  • Denver averages 49°F (10°C) across the year - cooler than all but 9% of the 3496 cities we track.

Ranked against every city in our dataset, each measured on the same ten-year window.

Monthly climate table

Monthly averages for Denver based on 2015–2024 weather data.
MonthHighLow Rain daysPrecipitation SunshineHumidity
January 41° 15° 5 0.9 in 7.9 h/day 63%
February 43° 15° 6 1.2 in 9.0 h/day 61%
March 52° 24° 8 1.9 in 10.0 h/day 58%
April 61° 33° 8 1.9 in 10.6 h/day 53%
May 68° 42° 13 3.9 in 11.3 h/day 60%
June 83° 55° 7 1.7 in 12.7 h/day 49%
July 88° 60° 7 1.3 in 12.8 h/day 47%
August 87° 59° 7 1.3 in 12.1 h/day 47%
September 82° 52° 4 0.7 in 11.0 h/day 43%
October 66° 38° 5 1.1 in 9.5 h/day 50%
November 52° 26° 5 0.9 in 8.4 h/day 56%
December 44° 20° 4 0.6 in 7.9 h/day 56%

Denver month by month

Denver weather in January

January brings highs around 41°F (5°C), lows near 15°F (-9°C), about 5 wet days and roughly 4 snowy days - typically the coldest month of the year in Denver.

Denver weather in February

February brings highs around 43°F (6°C), lows near 15°F (-9°C), about 6 wet days and roughly 5 snowy days.

Denver weather in March

March brings highs around 52°F (11°C), lows near 24°F (-4°C), about 8 wet days and roughly 5 snowy days.

Denver weather in April

April brings highs around 61°F (16°C), lows near 33°F (0°C), about 8 wet days and roughly 3 snowy days.

Denver weather in May

May brings highs around 68°F (20°C), lows near 42°F (6°C), about 13 wet days and roughly 1 snowy days - typically the wettest month of the year in Denver.

Denver weather in June

June brings highs around 83°F (28°C), lows near 55°F (13°C), about 7 wet days.

Denver weather in July

July brings highs around 88°F (31°C), lows near 60°F (16°C), about 7 wet days - typically the hottest month and the sunniest month of the year in Denver.

Denver weather in August

August brings highs around 87°F (30°C), lows near 59°F (15°C), about 7 wet days.

Denver weather in September

September brings highs around 82°F (28°C), lows near 52°F (11°C), about 4 wet days.

Denver weather in October

October brings highs around 66°F (19°C), lows near 38°F (3°C), about 5 wet days and roughly 2 snowy days.

Denver weather in November

November brings highs around 52°F (11°C), lows near 26°F (-3°C), about 5 wet days and roughly 4 snowy days.

Denver weather in December

December brings highs around 44°F (7°C), lows near 20°F (-7°C), about 4 wet days and roughly 3 snowy days - typically the driest month of the year in Denver.

Seasons in Denver

Spring (March through May)

Through spring, Denver is mild: 60°F (16°C) by day, 33°F (0°C) after dark, and expect showers on roughly 29 days across the season, plus about 9 snowy days. Daylight is generous - around 10.6 hours of sun a day.

Summer (June through August)

Summer in Denver runs hot, with daytime highs averaging 86°F (30°C) and nights around 58°F (14°C); expect showers on roughly 21 days across the season. Daylight is generous - around 12.5 hours of sun a day.

Fall (September through November)

Fall runs cool rather than cold here - highs near 67°F (19°C), nights near 39°F (4°C), and rain comes on about 14 days over the three months, plus about 6 snowy days.

Winter (December through February)

Winter in Denver is brisk and cold, with daytime highs averaging 43°F (6°C) and nights around 17°F (-8°C); rain comes on about 15 days over the three months, plus about 12 snowy days.

Climate questions, answered

Is Denver a wet city?
17.5 inches (444 mm) a year across 78 wet days - less than 86% of the cities we cover.
Is Denver humid?
Relative humidity averages 54% across the year, which reads as dry. The most comfortable stretch falls in the drier half of the year.
What should I pack for Denver?
It depends on the month: July runs to 88°F (31°C) while January holds at 41°F (5°C). The full month-by-month breakdown is in the packing notes above.
Is Denver hot in summer?
July averages 88°F (31°C). Hot afternoons happen but extremes are not the norm.
How often does it rain in Denver?
About 78 days bring measurable precipitation, totalling 17.5 inches (444 mm). That works out at roughly 5.7 mm on an average wet day.
Is Denver warmer or cooler than most cities?
Its 49°F (10°C) annual average is cooler than 91% of the 3496 cities in our dataset, which are all measured on the same 2015-2024 basis.

Best time to visit Denver

Aim for September to October and April if you get the choice: temperatures sit either side of the peak heat rather than in it, and highs average 73°F (23°C) against roughly 6 wet days a month. For the same question asked the other way round, see where else is warm in September.

Pack for Denver with light clothing for the warm months, a heavy insulated coat, hat and gloves for winter, rain gear if you travel around May and a mid-layer for the evenings, which fall away fast after sunset. July nights average 60°F (16°C), so evenings rarely match the afternoons.

Denver temperature records (2015-2024)

Highest recorded
101°
in June
Lowest recorded
-34°
in January
Annual precipitation
17.5"
Snowy days / yr
26

Derived from ERA5 reanalysis data, 2015–2024. Official station records may differ.