Estes Park weather in January

In January, Estes Park sees average daytime highs of 31°F and overnight lows near 11°F, with 1.1 in of precipitation across 6.7 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Estes Park's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Estes Park's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
11th warmest
Overnight low
11°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.1 in
6.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:29 AM – 4:54 PM
Cloud cover
50%
5th clearest
Wind
8 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Estes Park is town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States.

Density
356/km²
people per km²
Founded
1859

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 31°F through the month.

A typical January day in Estes Park reaches about 31°F in the afternoon and slips back to 11°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°F and 42°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13010
23010
33010
43010
53010
63010
73010
83110
93111
103111
113111
123111
133111
143111
153111
163111
173111
183111
193111
203111
213111
223111
233111
243111
253111
263111
273111
283111
293111
303111
313011

How January really feels in Estes Park

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.

Estes Park weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 11°1.16.77.69.40.0
Feb32° / 11°1.38.1910.40.0
Mar39° / 17°2.09.69.111.70.0
Apr44° / 22°3.413.510.2130.7
May54° / 31°4.618.65.114.22.7
Jun66° / 40°4.217.50.614.85.0
Jul72° / 46°5.720014.65.3
Aug70° / 45°4.920013.65.2
Sep63° / 37°3.013.31.112.35.1
Oct51° / 27°2.08.95.610.92.6
Nov39° / 18°1.26.26.39.80.1
Dec31° / 10°1.16.37.29.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35941
45941
55941
65842
75842
85842
95842
105842
115941
125941
136040
146139
156139
166139
176139
186139
196139
206139
216040
225941
235842
245842
255743
265644
275644
285545
295446
305347
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Estes Park gets around 1.1 in of rain and snow over 6.7 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 21% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11922
21922
32022
42023
52023
62023
72123
82123
92123
102023
112023
122022
132022
141922
151922
161922
171922
182022
192023
202023
212024
222124
232125
242225
252226
262326
272327
282427
292428
302528
312528

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 8 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
217light breeze
227light breeze
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 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 7:20 AM, and sunset from 4:40 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:304:40
29.27:304:41
39.27:314:42
49.27:314:43
59.27:314:43
69.27:314:44
79.27:314:45
89.37:314:46
99.37:304:47
109.37:304:48
119.37:304:49
129.37:304:50
139.47:304:51
149.47:294:52
159.47:294:53
169.47:294:54
179.47:284:55
189.57:284:56
199.57:284:57
209.57:274:58
219.57:274:59
229.67:265:00
239.67:265:02
249.67:255:03
259.77:245:04
269.77:245:05
279.77:235:06
289.87:225:07
299.87:225:09
309.87:215:10
319.87:205:11

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.46 kWh/m² to a high of 7.61 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.8 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Estes Park

In seasonPeak

None of Estes Park's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Estes Park's rainy season runs April–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Estes Park?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Estes Park.

What to pack for Estes Park in January

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

In January, Estes Park sees daytime highs around 31°F and nights near 11°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Estes Park 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 Estes Park peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 13UV 11Jan 11UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Estes Park 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 Estes Park is worst in October — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 8.7× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorGoodOct 1447 µg/m³Jan 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May8Good
Jun10Good
Jul10Good
Aug33Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct51Poor
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Estes Park?

Estes Park sits at 40.4°N, 105.5°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Loveland, 24 mi away.

Topography around Estes Park

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Estes Park has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,450 ft around an average of 7,825 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,995 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,531 ft.

The land around Estes Park is covered by trees (54%) and grassland (32%) within 2 miles, trees (78%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%) and trees (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,450 ft
10 miles
7,995 ft
50 miles
9,531 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Loveland 24 mi · Longmont 27 mi · Fort Collins 27 mi · Boulder 29 mi · Windsor 34 mi · Erie 34 mi · Louisville 34 mi · Lafayette 35 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 Estes Park (40.3772°, -105.5217°, 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. 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).