Aspen weather in January

In January, Aspen sees average daytime highs of 24°F and overnight lows near 6°F, with 2.3 in of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Aspen's 8th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aspen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
2.3 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:31 AM – 5:02 PM
Cloud cover
55%
8th clearest
Wind
4 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
2.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Aspen is city in and county seat of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States.

Density
685/km²
people per km²
Founded
1879

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°F through the month.

A typical January day in Aspen reaches about 24°F in the afternoon and slips back to 6°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°F and 34°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
1234
2234
3234
4245
5245
6245
7245
8245
9245
10245
11245
12245
13246
14246
15246
16246
17246
18246
19256
20256
21256
22256
23256
24256
25256
26256
27256
28256
29256
30256
31256

How January really feels in Aspen

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Aspen weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 2.311.3139.60.0
Feb27° / 2.413.11410.50.0
Mar34° / 14°2.512.51311.70.0
Apr39° / 19°3.313.913.7130.0
May48° / 26°2.211.47.314.11.7
Jun60° / 32°1.27.11.214.75.4
Jul68° / 40°2.311.70.114.56.2
Aug66° / 40°2.613.90.113.55.7
Sep58° / 33°2.110.42.112.34.5
Oct45° / 21°2.19.87.7111.2
Nov33° / 2.19.310.49.90.0
Dec24° / 2.210.712.39.30.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35149
45248
55248
65149
75149
85248
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145050
155050
165050
174951
184951
195050
205050
214951
225050
234951
244852
254852
264852
274753
284654
294654
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Aspen gets around 2.3 in of rain and snow over 11.3 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 36% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13339
23339
33340
43440
53440
63440
73440
83440
93440
103440
113440
123440
133540
143540
153540
163540
173640
183640
193641
203741
213742
223742
233843
243843
253944
263944
274045
284045
294046
304146
314146

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 4 mph in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:32 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 4:49 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:324:49
29.37:324:50
39.37:324:51
49.37:324:51
59.37:324:52
69.37:324:53
79.47:324:54
89.47:324:55
99.47:324:56
109.47:324:57
119.47:324:58
129.47:324:58
139.57:324:59
149.57:315:00
159.57:315:01
169.57:315:02
179.67:305:03
189.67:305:04
199.67:305:06
209.67:295:07
219.67:295:08
229.77:285:09
239.77:285:10
249.77:275:11
259.87:275:12
269.87:265:13
279.87:255:14
289.87:255:15
299.97:245:17
309.97:235:18
319.97:225:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.54 kWh/m² to a high of 8.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.84 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Aspen?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Aspen.

What to pack for Aspen in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Aspen sees daytime highs around 24°F and nights near 6°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Aspen in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Aspen peaks around June 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 12Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar7High
Apr7Very high
May10Very high
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Aspen?

Aspen sits at 39.2°N, 106.8°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Montrose, 75 mi away.

Topography around Aspen

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Aspen.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Aspen has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,887 ft around an average of 8,688 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,417 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,927 ft.

The land around Aspen is covered by trees (77%) within 2 miles, trees (74%) within 10 miles, and trees (64%) and grassland (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
2,887 ft
10 miles
6,417 ft
50 miles
8,927 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Montrose 75 mi · Clifton 88 mi · Grand Junction 93 mi · Golden 94 mi · Dakota Ridge 94 mi · Ken Caryl 95 mi · Columbine 98 mi · Lakewood 99 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Aspen (39.1911°, -106.8175°, elevation 0 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).