El Paso in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), El Paso sees average daytime highs around 59°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 1.7 in of precipitation over about 9 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 59°F in early December to 66°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is El Paso's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see El Paso's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 59°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 36°F
- Precipitation
- 1.7 in
- 9 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 5.5
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in El Paso in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 59°F in early December to 66°F by late February.
A typical winter day in El Paso reaches about 59°F and drops to 36°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in El Paso
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 71 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
El Paso weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57° / 34° | 0.5 | 3 | 0.5 | 10.2 | 5.0 |
| Feb | 63° / 39° | 0.5 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 10.8 | 6.8 |
| Mar | 71° / 45° | 0.4 | 1.9 | 0 | 11.8 | 8.3 |
| Apr | 79° / 52° | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 12.8 | 8.6 |
| May | 87° / 60° | 0.3 | 1.8 | 0 | 13.6 | 5.9 |
| Jun | 95° / 69° | 0.4 | 2.2 | 0 | 14 | 3.2 |
| Jul | 94° / 72° | 1.2 | 5.7 | 0 | 13.9 | 3.2 |
| Aug | 92° / 71° | 1.0 | 5.3 | 0 | 13.2 | 3.9 |
| Sep | 87° / 64° | 1.2 | 4.1 | 0 | 12.2 | 5.8 |
| Oct | 78° / 53° | 0.7 | 3.5 | 0.1 | 11.2 | 8.2 |
| Nov | 66° / 42° | 0.5 | 2.3 | 0.1 | 10.4 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 56° / 34° | 0.7 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 10 | 4.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
El Paso gets around 1.7 in of rain and snow over 9 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 6 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.0 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit El Paso?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit El Paso for sightseeing.
What to pack for El Paso in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, El Paso sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 36°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.
UV index in El Paso in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in El Paso peaks around June 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 5 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Moderate |
| Feb | 6 | High |
| Mar | 8 | Very high |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 5 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in El Paso in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in El Paso is worst in December — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Moderate |
| Feb | 15 | Moderate |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 12 | Moderate |
| Jun | 13 | Moderate |
| Jul | 12 | Good |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 15 | Moderate |
| Dec | 16 | Moderate |
Where is El Paso?
El Paso sits at 31.8°N, 106.5°W, 3,717 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ciudad Juárez, 3.1 mi away.
Topography around El Paso
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of El Paso.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around El Paso has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 863 ft around an average of 3,783 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,458 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,141 ft.
The land around El Paso is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (44%), shrubs (30%) and bare terrain (21%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (41%) and bare terrain (41%) 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 El Paso (31.7587°, -106.4869°, elevation 3,717 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.