Denver and Thornton Climatological Preview - January 2023

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Denver Climatological Preview - January 2023

A Preview of Denver's January Weather - The Depths of Winter

Falling in the middle of the meteorological winter, the month of January can see its extremes in many respects. It is typically one of the coldest months and also one of the driest in Denver as Arctic cold fronts bring chilly temperatures but little in the way of precipitation..

Just how cold can January get? The record low temperature for each day of the month is at least 10 degrees below zero. In addition it is not uncommon for the mercury to drop below the freezing mark every night of the month.

During the days, the normal high for every day of the month is either 43 or 44 degrees so it never really warms up much. Based on 1980 - 2010 averages, January's average temperature is 30.7 degrees making it our second coldest month behind December (30.0 degrees).

Indeed, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Denver was 29 degrees below zero on January 9th 1875. The coldest January on record came in 1930 when the month saw an average temperature of only 16.9 degrees. That isn’t to say though that it can’t get warm – record high temperatures for the month have hit into the 70’s.

Interestingly enough, even though January is so cold there is usually not an abundance of inclement weather. It is the third driest month of the year in terms of total precipitation and only the 4th snowiest month with an average of 7.0 inches of snowfall.

That isn't to say that big snow events can't happen. In the not so distant past, an exception to this was in January 1992 when 24.3 inches of snow fell making it the snowiest January in Denver history. In 2006 Denver officially had 15.9 inches of snow (15.0 inches in Thornton) which made it the eighth snowiest January.

January weather can be extremely variable but that of course is a characteristic of any month in Denver. Cold blasts of arctic air usually bring several light snows and sub-zero temperatures to the area.

However, chinook winds that warm temperatures into the 50s and 60s are also common. These winds may blow as high as 100 miles per hour in and near the foothills. Boulder and the surrounding area often find themselves under high wind warnings. Chinooks are far more common than blizzards during January.

Denver's January Weather Extremes

Denver's Top 5 Coldest Januarys (mean temperatures):
16.9 Degrees 1930 ***Coldest month in Denver history
18.0 Degrees 1979
18.1 Degrees 1875
18.2 Degrees 1937
19.1 Degrees 1963

Denver's Top 5 Warmest Januarys (mean temperatures):
40.3 Degrees 1986
40.0 Degrees 1934
39.6 Degrees 1953
39.4 Degrees 1935
38.3 Degrees 1893

Denver's Snowiest Januarys:
24.3 Inches 1992
22.2 Inches 1949
20.5 Inches 1883
19.2 Inches 1948
17.4 Inches 1959

Denver's Least Snowiest Januarys:
T Inches 1934, 2003
0.1 Inches 1931
0.2 Inches 1933
0.3 Inches 1952
0.4 Inches 1914

January 2023 Outlook

The Climate Prediction Center's latest long range forecasts don't point to any significant leanings in terms of temperatures. The agency gives virtually the entire state equal chances of seeing above, below or at normal temperatures. In terms of precipitation, the center gives much of the northern half of the state, including the Front Range, above average probability of seeing above normal levels of precipitation.

For More Information

Temperature Normals and Extremes for January

Monthly Temperature, Rainfall and Snowfall Extremes for January

JANUARY AVERAGE STATISTICS * Normals & Means, 1981 - 2010

TEMPERATURE
AVERAGE HIGH	44.0
AVERAGE LOW	17.4
MONTHLY MEAN	30.7
DAYS WITH HIGH 90 OR ABOVE	0
DAYS WITH HIGH 32 OR BELOW	6 (5.5)
DAYS WITH LOW 32 OR BELOW	29 (29.4)
DAYS WITH LOWS ZERO OR BELOW	2 (1.7)

PRECIPITATION
MONTHLY MEAN	0.41 INCH
DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION	4 (4.1)
AVERAGE SNOWFALL	7.0 INCHES (4TH SNOWIEST MONTH)

MISCELLANEOUS JANUARY AVERAGES
HEATING DEGREE DAYS	1063
COOLING DEGREES DAYS	0
WIND SPEED (MPH)	8.6
WIND DIRECTION	SOUTH
DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORMS	0 * (* = less than one)
DAYS WITH DENSE FOG	1
PERCENT OF SUNSHINE POSSIBLE	71

JANUARY EXTREMES
RECORD HIGH	76 DEGREES ON 1/27/1888
RECORD LOW	-29 DEGREES ON 1/9/1875
WARMEST	40.3 DEGREES IN 1986
COLDEST	16.9 DEGREES IN 1930
WETTEST	2.35 INCHES IN 1883
MAXIMUM 24 HOUR MOISTURE	1.22 INCHES IN 1883
DRIEST	0.01 INCHES IN 1933, 1934, 1952
SNOWIEST	24.3 INCHES IN 1992
MAXIMUM 24 HOUR SNOWFALL	14.5 INCHES IN 1992
LEAST SNOWIEST	TRACE AMOUNTS 1934 and 2003

* Historical weather statistics gathered from the National Weather Service's Denver / Boulder forecast office data archives.