Brighton weather in January

In January, Brighton sees average daytime highs of 42°F and overnight lows near 19°F, with 0.5 in of precipitation across 3.3 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 41°F in the first days to 44°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Brighton's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Brighton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
42°
11th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.5 in
3.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:25 AM – 4:52 PM
Cloud cover
45%
5th clearest
Wind
5 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
2.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
out of 10

Brighton is city in and county seat of Adams County, Colorado, United States.

Density
716/km²
people per km²
Founded
1887

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 41°F in the first days to 44°F by the end.

A typical January day in Brighton reaches about 42°F in the afternoon and slips back to 19°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°F and 58°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14018
24018
34118
44118
54118
64118
74118
84118
94118
104218
114218
124218
134218
144219
154219
164319
174319
184319
194319
204319
214420
224420
234420
244420
254420
264420
274420
284420
294420
304420
314420

How January really feels in Brighton

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.

Brighton weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 19°0.53.33.59.50.4
Feb46° / 22°0.53.63.510.41.5
Mar56° / 29°1.35.43.411.74.3
Apr63° / 37°2.07.63.2135.8
May72° / 46°2.59.50.614.26.7
Jun83° / 55°1.57014.86.3
Jul89° / 61°1.36.9014.54.6
Aug87° / 60°1.25.7013.65.5
Sep79° / 51°1.04.20.412.37.7
Oct65° / 38°1.25.11.510.96.9
Nov52° / 27°0.74.13.39.83.4
Dec42° / 20°0.533.29.20.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% 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 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26733
36634
46634
56535
66535
76535
86535
96535
106535
116535
126535
136535
146634
156634
166634
176634
186634
196634
206535
216535
226436
236436
246337
256238
266238
276139
286139
296139
306040
315941

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Brighton gets around 0.5 in of rain and snow over 3.3 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 10% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1911
2911
3911
4911
51011
61011
71011
81011
91011
101011
111011
121011
131011
14910
15910
16910
17910
18910
19910
201010
211010
221011
231011
241111
251112
261112
271212
281213
291213
301213
311213

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 5 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 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 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:26 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 4:39 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:264:39
29.27:264:39
39.27:274:40
49.27:274:41
59.37:274:42
69.37:274:43
79.37:274:44
89.37:274:44
99.37:264:45
109.37:264:46
119.47:264:47
129.47:264:48
139.47:264:49
149.47:264:50
159.47:254:51
169.57:254:52
179.57:254:53
189.57:244:54
199.57:244:55
209.67:234:56
219.67:234:58
229.67:224:59
239.67:225:00
249.77:215:01
259.77:215:02
269.77:205:03
279.87:195:04
289.87:195:05
299.87:185:07
309.87:175:08
319.97:165:09

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.42 kWh/m² to a high of 7.39 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Brighton?

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

0.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Brighton.

What to pack for Brighton in January

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

In January, Brighton sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 19°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Brighton in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Brighton peaks around July 12 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 11Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar7High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Brighton in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Brighton 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateAug 1620 µg/m³May 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Brighton?

Brighton sits at 40.0°N, 104.8°W, 4,984 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Northglenn, 11 mi away.

Topography around Brighton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Brighton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft around an average of 4,990 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 640 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,626 ft.

The land around Brighton is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), grassland (32%) and cropland (21%) within 2 miles, grassland (51%) and cropland (28%) within 10 miles, and grassland (48%), trees (22%) and cropland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
194 ft
10 miles
640 ft
50 miles
9,626 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Northglenn 11 mi · Thornton 11 mi · Erie 13 mi · Commerce City 14 mi · Sherrelwood 14 mi · Lafayette 14 mi · Broomfield 15 mi · Westminster 16 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 Brighton (39.9853°, -104.8205°, elevation 4,984 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).