Climate and average weather in Boulder
In Boulder, the summers are warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, snowy, and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Boulder typically varies from 14°F to 80°F, and is rarely below 0°F or above 87°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Boulder for warm-weather activities is from late May to mid October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 80°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 14°
- Wettest
- May
- 4.0 in
- Driest
- Dec
- 0.9 in
- Rain / yr
- 26.0 in
- 120 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.2–14.8 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 5,328 ft
- 40.0°N
- Clearest
- Nov
- 41% cloud
Boulder is city in and county seat of Boulder County, Colorado, United States.
- Density
- 1,606/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1858
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Boulder weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late May to mid October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Boulder, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.6 months, from June 2 to September 20, with daily high temperatures above 69°F. The hottest month of the year in Boulder is July, with an average high of 80°F and low of 53°F.
The cool season lasts 3.5 months, from November 20 to March 5, with daily high temperatures below 44°F. The coldest month of the year in Boulder is January, with an average low of 14°F and high of 37°F.
Days typically run about 25°F warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 37 | 39 | 48 | 54 | 63 | 74 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 37 |
| Avg low (°F) | 14 | 16 | 22 | 29 | 38 | 47 | 53 | 52 | 44 | 33 | 22 | 15 |
| Avg high (°F) | Avg low (°F) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 14 |
| Feb | 39 | 16 |
| Mar | 48 | 22 |
| Apr | 54 | 29 |
| May | 63 | 38 |
| Jun | 74 | 47 |
| Jul | 80 | 53 |
| Aug | 78 | 52 |
| Sep | 71 | 44 |
| Oct | 58 | 33 |
| Nov | 46 | 22 |
| Dec | 37 | 15 |
How hot and cold Boulder really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about 4°F (around December 30), with roughly 215 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) — 112 of them bitterly cold — worst in December.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°F) | 37 | 39 | 48 | 54 | 63 | 74 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 37 |
| Air high (°F) | 37 | 39 | 48 | 54 | 63 | 74 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 58 | 46 | 37 |
| Feels-like low (°F) | 6 | 8 | 16 | 23 | 34 | 45 | 53 | 52 | 42 | 28 | 15 | 6 |
| Air low (°F) | 14 | 16 | 22 | 29 | 38 | 47 | 53 | 52 | 44 | 33 | 22 | 15 |
| Feels-like high (°F) | Air high (°F) | Feels-like low (°F) | Air low (°F) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 37 | 6 | 14 |
| Feb | 39 | 39 | 8 | 16 |
| Mar | 48 | 48 | 16 | 22 |
| Apr | 54 | 54 | 23 | 29 |
| May | 63 | 63 | 34 | 38 |
| Jun | 74 | 74 | 45 | 47 |
| Jul | 80 | 80 | 53 | 53 |
| Aug | 78 | 78 | 52 | 52 |
| Sep | 71 | 71 | 42 | 44 |
| Oct | 58 | 58 | 28 | 33 |
| Nov | 46 | 46 | 15 | 22 |
| Dec | 37 | 37 | 6 | 15 |
Average hourly temperature in Boulder
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 80°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 14°F.
Boulder weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37° / 14° | 0.9 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 39° / 16° | 1.0 | 6.7 | 7 | 10.4 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 48° / 22° | 2.0 | 8.8 | 7.2 | 11.7 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 54° / 29° | 3.1 | 11.1 | 7.9 | 13 | 3.1 |
| May | 63° / 38° | 4.0 | 14.9 | 3.5 | 14.2 | 4.8 |
| Jun | 74° / 47° | 3.0 | 14.3 | 0.3 | 14.8 | 6.2 |
| Jul | 80° / 53° | 3.0 | 14.8 | 0 | 14.5 | 6.0 |
| Aug | 78° / 52° | 2.8 | 14.9 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.2 |
| Sep | 71° / 44° | 2.1 | 9.7 | 0.9 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 58° / 33° | 1.9 | 7.4 | 3.9 | 10.9 | 4.9 |
| Nov | 46° / 22° | 1.3 | 6.4 | 5.7 | 9.8 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 37° / 15° | 0.9 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Boulder gets about 26.0 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from around Mar 26 to Sep 16, peaking in May at about 54% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 1.
May is the wettest month by volume, with 4.0 in over about 15 wet days; December is the driest, with 0.9 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 18 | 24 | 28 | 37 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 47 | 33 | 23 | 21 | 18 |
| Rain days | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 6 |
| Feb | 24 | 7 |
| Mar | 28 | 9 |
| Apr | 37 | 11 |
| May | 48 | 15 |
| Jun | 48 | 14 |
| Jul | 48 | 15 |
| Aug | 47 | 15 |
| Sep | 33 | 10 |
| Oct | 23 | 7 |
| Nov | 21 | 6 |
| Dec | 18 | 5 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Boulder collects about 26.0 in of rain across 120 wet days — roughly 2.2 in in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 4.0 in, while December is the driest at just 0.9 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 39% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (in) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Rain days | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Snow days | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Rainfall (in) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.9 | 6 | 6 |
| Feb | 1.0 | 7 | 7 |
| Mar | 2.0 | 9 | 7 |
| Apr | 3.1 | 11 | 8 |
| May | 4.0 | 15 | 4 |
| Jun | 3.0 | 14 | 0 |
| Jul | 3.0 | 15 | 0 |
| Aug | 2.8 | 15 | 0 |
| Sep | 2.1 | 10 | 1 |
| Oct | 1.9 | 7 | 4 |
| Nov | 1.3 | 6 | 6 |
| Dec | 0.9 | 5 | 5 |
Snow in Boulder
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Boulder averages about 47 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Sep 9 to Jun 7 — about 8.9 months.
March is snowiest, with roughly 7 days of snow and an estimated 16 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 89 in of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Snowfall (in) | 8 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 10 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (in) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | 8 |
| Feb | 7 | 11 |
| Mar | 7 | 16 |
| Apr | 8 | 18 |
| May | 4 | 6 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 1 | 2 |
| Oct | 4 | 6 |
| Nov | 6 | 12 |
| Dec | 5 | 10 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Boulder, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around August 7 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around January 27. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 71% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around January 28 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around June 14. The cloudiest month is May, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 53% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 64 | 58 | 55 | 47 | 47 | 61 | 62 | 64 | 71 | 70 | 68 | 69 |
| Cloudier (%) | 36 | 42 | 45 | 53 | 53 | 39 | 38 | 36 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 31 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64 | 36 |
| Feb | 58 | 42 |
| Mar | 55 | 45 |
| Apr | 47 | 53 |
| May | 47 | 53 |
| Jun | 61 | 39 |
| Jul | 62 | 38 |
| Aug | 64 | 36 |
| Sep | 71 | 29 |
| Oct | 70 | 30 |
| Nov | 68 | 32 |
| Dec | 69 | 31 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 9, brings about 14 h 48 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 12 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.4 | 11.7 | 13.0 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.3 | 10.9 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:27 | 7:03 | 6:21 | 5:30 | 4:51 | 4:37 | 4:49 | 5:17 | 5:48 | 6:18 | 6:54 | 7:22 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:54 | 5:28 | 6:01 | 6:33 | 7:03 | 7:26 | 7:24 | 6:53 | 6:03 | 5:14 | 4:39 | 4:32 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.5 | 7:27 | 4:54 |
| Feb | 10.4 | 7:03 | 5:28 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 6:21 | 6:01 |
| Apr | 13.0 | 5:30 | 6:33 |
| May | 14.2 | 4:51 | 7:03 |
| Jun | 14.8 | 4:37 | 7:26 |
| Jul | 14.5 | 4:49 | 7:24 |
| Aug | 13.6 | 5:17 | 6:53 |
| Sep | 12.3 | 5:48 | 6:03 |
| Oct | 10.9 | 6:18 | 5:14 |
| Nov | 9.8 | 6:54 | 4:39 |
| Dec | 9.2 | 7:22 | 4:32 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Boulder averages about 12 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 6 and 17 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.1 months, from around Sep 2 to Mar 7. The sunniest month is October, with roughly 16 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is May, down near 7 sunny days — about 59% fewer than the October peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 14 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| Sky | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Mixed |
| Feb | 11 | Mixed |
| Mar | 11 | Mixed |
| Apr | 8 | Mixed |
| May | 7 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 9 | Mixed |
| Jul | 10 | Mixed |
| Aug | 11 | Mixed |
| Sep | 14 | Mixed |
| Oct | 17 | Bright |
| Nov | 16 | Bright |
| Dec | 16 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Boulder, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in June, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 93 | 97 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 99 | 1 |
| Jul | 93 | 7 |
| Aug | 97 | 3 |
| Sep | 99 | 1 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Boulder is steady company: average speeds sit near 5 mph — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (mph) | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (mph) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | calm |
| Feb | 5 | calm |
| Mar | 5 | calm |
| Apr | 5 | calm |
| May | 5 | calm |
| Jun | 5 | calm |
| Jul | 4 | calm |
| Aug | 4 | calm |
| Sep | 4 | calm |
| Oct | 5 | calm |
| Nov | 5 | calm |
| Dec | 6 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Boulder
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Boulder's rainy season runs March–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Boulder
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Boulder throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid June, Boulder is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Boulder for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to mid October, with a peak score in the first week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 6.8 | 4.9 | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | good | fair | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.1 | poor |
| Mar | 1.7 | poor |
| Apr | 3.1 | poor |
| May | 4.8 | fair |
| Jun | 6.1 | good |
| Jul | 6.0 | good |
| Aug | 6.3 | good |
| Sep | 6.8 | good |
| Oct | 4.9 | fair |
| Nov | 1.5 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Boulder for hot-weather activities is from mid June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of July.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Boulder, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 80°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 37°F), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Boulder sees daytime highs around 80°F and nights near 53°F. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 15 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Boulder by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Boulder peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Boulder
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 3.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6.5 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.5 | 4 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 3.5 | 0 |
| Mar | 6 | 2 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 2.5 |
| May | 7.5 | 4 |
| Jun | 9 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 9 | 6 |
| Aug | 8 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Oct | 5 | 0 |
| Nov | 2 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Boulder by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Boulder is worst in August — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (May, 13 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 17 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Moderate |
| Feb | 15 | Moderate |
| Mar | 16 | Moderate |
| Apr | 13 | Moderate |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 14 | Moderate |
| Aug | 21 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 15 | Moderate |
| Nov | 15 | Moderate |
| Dec | 16 | Moderate |
Growing season
The growing season in Boulder typically lasts about 174 days, from around April 29 to October 19 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from May 19 to September 28.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 3 | 5 | 12 | 34 | 82 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 97 | 58 | 15 | 3 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 31 |
| Feb | 5 | 28 |
| Mar | 12 | 31 |
| Apr | 34 | 30 |
| May | 82 | 19 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 97 | 2 |
| Oct | 58 | 31 |
| Nov | 15 | 30 |
| Dec | 3 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Boulder banks about 1,553 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 314 | 504 | 456 | 224 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 0 |
| May | 49 |
| Jun | 314 |
| Jul | 504 |
| Aug | 456 |
| Sep | 224 |
| Oct | 5 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Boulder receives about 5.2 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.5 and 7.5 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Mar 12 to Sep 22. The brightest month is June, averaging about 7.4 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 2.6 kWh/m² — roughly 65% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 2.9 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.9 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4.0 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5.3 | Bright |
| Apr | 6.4 | Intense |
| May | 6.9 | Intense |
| Jun | 7.5 | Intense |
| Jul | 7.2 | Intense |
| Aug | 6.5 | Intense |
| Sep | 5.5 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.1 | Bright |
| Nov | 3.0 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2.6 | Moderate |
Where is Boulder?
Boulder sits at 40.0°N, 105.3°W, 5,328 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Louisville, 8.1 mi away.
Topography around Boulder
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Boulder.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Boulder has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,703 ft around an average of 5,495 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,147 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,623 ft.
The land around Boulder is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and trees (41%) and grassland (34%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Boulder (40.015°, -105.2706°, elevation 5,328 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).