Gallup in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Gallup sees average daytime highs around 43°F and overnight lows near 23°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation over about 16 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 43°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Gallup's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Gallup's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
43°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
23°F
Precipitation
2.8 in
16 wet days
Avg wind
8 mph
Travel score
0.7
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Gallup in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 43°F.

A typical winter day in Gallup reaches about 43°F and drops to 23°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Gallup

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
90
53 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Gallup 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 21°1.05.64.29.90.1
Feb46° / 25°0.95.24.110.71.5
Mar55° / 31°0.95.7311.74.0
Apr63° / 38°0.641.512.96.4
May72° / 47°0.63.70.313.88.1
Jun83° / 56°0.31.7014.47.5
Jul85° / 62°1.26.9014.25.9
Aug82° / 60°1.37.4013.36.8
Sep76° / 53°0.94.4012.28.2
Oct65° / 42°0.84.10.611.17.2
Nov53° / 30°0.74.12.110.13.5
Dec42° / 22°1.04.84.59.60.4

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Gallup gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 16 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 8 mph across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.6 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Gallup?

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.

0.7
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gallup.

What to pack for Gallup in Winter

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

In winter, Gallup sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 23°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Gallup in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gallup peaks around July 11 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 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 11UV 12Dec 16UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar7High
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Gallup?

Gallup sits at 35.5°N, 108.7°W, 6,512 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Farmington, 88 mi away.

Topography around Gallup

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gallup has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 561 ft around an average of 6,611 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,555 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,940 ft.

The land around Gallup is covered by shrubs (29%), artificial surfaces (28%) and grassland (26%) within 2 miles, grassland (48%) and shrubs (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (39%) and grassland (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
561 ft
10 miles
1,555 ft
50 miles
3,940 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
Winter weather nearby: Farmington 88 mi · Rio Rancho 119 mi · Enchanted Hills 122 mi · South Valley 122 mi · Albuquerque 122 mi · Los Lunas 124 mi · Durango 130 mi · Santa Fe 158 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 Gallup (35.5281°, -108.7426°, elevation 6,512 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.