Durango weather in January

In January, Durango sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 12°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 7.1 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°F through the month. 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 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Durango's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Durango's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
12th warmest
Overnight low
12°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
7.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:30 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
45%
8th clearest
Wind
4 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Durango is home rule municipality in and county seat of La Plata County, Colorado, United States.

Density
698/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

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 35°F through the month.

A typical January day in Durango reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 12°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°F and 43°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13310
23311
33311
43411
53411
63411
73411
83411
93411
103412
113412
123412
133412
143412
153412
163512
173512
183512
193512
203512
213512
223512
233512
243512
253512
263512
273512
283513
293613
303613
313613

How January really feels in Durango

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.

Durango weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 12°2.47.17.39.70.0
Feb38° / 16°2.38.37.810.60.0
Mar46° / 22°1.97.86.311.71.3
Apr54° / 29°1.77.33.912.93.7
May65° / 37°1.56.41146.6
Jun77° / 46°0.73.3014.58.3
Jul81° / 53°1.57.7014.37.1
Aug78° / 52°1.88.8013.47.2
Sep71° / 44°2.57.1012.37.4
Oct59° / 33°2.27.31.4115.4
Nov46° / 20°2.06.25101.4
Dec35° / 11°2.06.66.69.50.0

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26238
36139
46139
56139
66139
76139
86139
96139
106139
116238
126238
136238
146337
156337
166436
176337
186337
196337
206436
216436
226436
236436
246436
256337
266337
276238
286238
296238
306238
316139

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Durango gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 7.1 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 23% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12426
22426
32426
42426
52425
62425
72425
82425
92425
102424
112324
122324
132323
142323
152223
162222
172222
182222
192222
202222
212222
222222
232122
242122
252222
262222
272223
282223
292223
302223
312223

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.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 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
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 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 7:30 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:304:59
29.57:315:00
39.57:315:00
49.57:315:01
59.57:315:02
69.57:315:03
79.57:315:04
89.67:315:04
99.67:315:05
109.67:315:06
119.67:315:07
129.67:315:08
139.67:315:09
149.77:305:10
159.77:305:11
169.77:305:12
179.77:305:13
189.77:295:14
199.87:295:15
209.87:295:16
219.87:285:17
229.87:285:18
239.97:275:19
249.97:275:20
259.97:265:21
269.97:265:22
2710.07:255:23
2810.07:245:24
2910.07:245:25
3010.07:235:26
3110.17:225:27

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.84 kWh/m² to a high of 8.34 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.17 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.9Moderate
42.9Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Durango?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Durango.

What to pack for Durango in January

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

In January, Durango sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 12°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Durango in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Durango peaks around July 12 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 12Dec 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Durango 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 Durango is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (October, 5 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1616 µg/m³Oct 225 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb5Good
Mar6Good
Apr6Good
May6Good
Jun17Moderate
Jul7Good
Aug9Good
Sep7Good
Oct5Good
Nov5Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Durango?

Durango sits at 37.3°N, 107.9°W, 6,532 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Farmington, 42 mi away.

Topography around Durango

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Durango has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,289 ft around an average of 6,870 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,692 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,012 ft.

The land around Durango is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (63%) and grassland (28%) within 10 miles, and trees (52%) and grassland (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,289 ft
10 miles
4,692 ft
50 miles
9,012 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Farmington 42 mi · Telluride 46 mi · Montrose 83 mi · Moab 128 mi · Grand Junction 129 mi · Clifton 129 mi · Gallup 130 mi · Aspen 144 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 Durango (37.2753°, -107.8801°, elevation 6,532 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).