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Denver Climatological Preview - January 2012 |
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A Preview of Denver's January Weather - The Depths of Winter
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): January 2012 Outlook The National Weather Service outlook for the next month suggests Denver will see near normal temperatures and precipitation for January 2012. High wind events east of the Continental Divide are possible. For More Information Temperature Normals and Extremes for January Monthly Temperature, Rainfall and Snowfall Extremes for January
* Historical weather statistics gathered from the National Weather Service's Denver / Boulder forecast office data archives. |
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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.. 
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