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Denver weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

The Mile High City rises where the Great Plains meet the Rockies: a sunny, dry-aired gateway to the mountains whose weather is as changeable as its setting, swinging from chinook-warmed afternoons to sudden plunges into snow. Denver weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+4.7°Fhigh above average

72° / 41°Today
67° / 38°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+6.0°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–49122frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 164 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 164 in the 1940s76days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 35 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 35 in the 1940s+6.0°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 1.0 incheshigh 42°low 19°February, rain 1.1 incheshigh 46°low 21°March, rain 2.1 incheshigh 53°low 26°April, rain 3.0 incheshigh 62°low 34°May, rain 3.7 incheshigh 71°low 44°June, rain 2.4 incheshigh 81°low 53°July, rain 1.7 incheshigh 87°low 59°August, rain 1.7 incheshigh 85°low 58°September, rain 1.6 incheshigh 79°low 50°October, rain 1.6 incheshigh 67°low 39°November, rain 1.4 incheshigh 52°low 27°December, rain 1.0 incheshigh 44°low 21°wettest month May, 3.7 inches · 22.3 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

47.3°

43°feels like
50%humidity
30°dew point
1 mphfrom SW
UV index0.0
sunrise07:14sunset18:14day length11h 00m
TodayClear72°41°
TueOvercast70°44°
WedOvercast76°59°
ThuOvercast74°61°
FriClear76°60°
SatClear63°53°
SunClear68°48°

On this date: October 19

Today (forecast)
72° / 41°
Average for October 19
67° / 38°

High above average · +4.7°F

  • Highest since 1940: 84.7° · 2003
  • Lowest since 1940: 20.2° · 1984
  • One year ago: 79° / 35°

Every October 19 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 19 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Denver is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 39.74°N, 104.98°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
39.74°N, 104.98°W
Time zone
America/Denver
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

28 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +7.1°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Denver sits at 1,609 m above sea level on the High Plains, just east of the Rocky Mountain Front Range, and has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The high elevation and dry air give it low humidity, plentiful sunshine and a large day-to-night temperature range. Its position beside the mountains makes the weather notably changeable: warm chinook winds can bring mild spells in midwinter, only for Arctic air to plunge temperatures soon after.

Spring and summer bring some of the nation's costliest hailstorms (Denver has been hit by several of the most damaging on record) along with the occasional tornado on the plains nearby. Snow falls heavily but erratically; remarkably, the 2021–22 season's first measurable snow held off until 10 December 2021, the latest start to the snow season in the city's records, even as deep cold snaps such as December 2022 still arrive.

The year peaks in July, at around 87.2°F by mid-afternoon, with nights around 59.3°F. Roughly 75 days a year now top 86°F. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 42.5°F and typical overnight lows of 18.6°F.

In total, Denver averages about 22.3 inches of precipitation a year; May is usually the wettest month (3.7 inches) and December the driest (1.0 inches).

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Denver now averages 6.0°F warmer than it did in the 1940s. Where the first decade averaged 165 frost days a year, the recent one saw about 120.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 45°F. Wettest month: May (~3.7 in). Whole year averages ~22.3 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 66 rainy days a year: most in May (~10), fewest in December (~4).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Denver month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January42.5°18.6°1.0 in49.5 h70.7° (1982)−38.6° (1963)
February46.2°20.8°1.1 in410.5 h79.0° (2017)−23.1° (1951)
March53.3°26.4°2.1 in711.7 h82.2° (2012)−10.3° (2002)
April62.1°34.5°3.0 in813.1 h87.2° (1992)−1.5° (1975)
May70.6°43.9°3.7 in1014.2 h93.6° (2000)18.7° (2013)
June81.5°53.2°2.4 in614.8 h101.7° (1954)32.5° (1951)
July87.2°59.3°1.7 in514.5 h101.1° (1954)44.9° (1942)
August85.4°58.2°1.7 in513.6 h99.5° (2008)40.7° (2004)
September78.8°50.3°1.6 in512.2 h99.0° (2020)13.3° (1985)
October67.1°39.3°1.6 in510.9 h90.5° (2024)−8.0° (1993)
November52.3°27.4°1.4 in49.8 h81.9° (2025)−16.7° (1976)
December44.1°20.9°1.0 in49.2 h76.3° (2025)−24.1° (1990)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +6.0°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.52°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.72°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 34.6 early in the record → 75.7 recently. Frost days: 164 → 122.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1954, coldest in 1963: 101.7°F / −38.6°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~22.3 in/year on average. Last decade: −10% vs that average. Long-term trend: −0.30 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Denver

Which is the warmest month in Denver?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Denver is July (mean daily temperature of about 72.7°F) and the coolest is January (about 27.9°F).
How does today's temperature in Denver compare to the historical average?
On October 19, 2026, Denver is forecast to reach a high of 71.6°F and a low of 41.4°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 66.9°F and a low of 37.7°F, so today's high is 4.7°F warmer than that average.
How much has Denver warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Denver is about 6.0°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Denver?
Denver receives about 22.3 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with May typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Denver?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Denver is about 49.3°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Denver by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Denver (°F, full record since 1940): January 42°/19°, February 46°/21°, March 53°/26°, April 62°/34°, May 71°/44°, June 81°/53°, July 87°/59°, August 85°/58°, September 79°/50°, October 67°/39°, November 52°/27°, December 44°/21°.
What is the weather like in Denver in summer?
Summer in Denver (June to August) is warm. Daytime highs sit at 81–87°F and nights at 53–59°F; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 1.9 inches a month, spread over roughly 5 days.
What is the weather like in Denver in winter?
December to February is winter in Denver, and it is cold. Afternoons run 42–46°F and nights 19–21°F; January is the coldest month. Rain falls on about 4 days a month, adding up to around 1.0 inches. It is the driest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Denver in spring?
Spring in Denver (March to May) is fairly mild. March is still 53°F in the afternoon and 26°F at night, May already 71°F and 44°F. Rain picks up through the season: 7 rainy days and 2.1 inches in March, 10 days and 3.7 inches in May. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Denver in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Denver, and it is mild. September still brings 79°F afternoons and 50°F nights, November only 52°F and 27°F. Rain falls on about 4 days a month, adding up to around 1.5 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in Denver?
On long-term average, Denver has about 66 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 22.3 inches.

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