Gillette in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Gillette sees average daytime highs around 35°F and overnight lows near 17°F, with 2.1 in of precipitation over about 16 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 35°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
35°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
17°F
Precipitation
2.1 in
16 wet days
Avg wind
12 mph
Travel score
0.0
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Gillette in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 35°F.

A typical winter day in Gillette reaches about 35°F and drops to 17°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Gillette

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
90 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Gillette 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
Jan34° / 16°0.65.25.59.10.0
Feb37° / 18°0.85.85.710.20.0
Mar47° / 26°1.47.85.811.61.5
Apr54° / 33°2.410.85.413.23.2
May64° / 42°3.111.51.214.55.4
Jun75° / 52°2.310.20.115.36.8
Jul85° / 59°1.47.90155.7
Aug84° / 58°1.25.8013.86.5
Sep72° / 48°1.460.512.37.4
Oct56° / 36°1.97.83.110.84.3
Nov44° / 25°0.854.89.40.9
Dec35° / 18°0.75.15.18.70.0

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Gillette gets around 2.1 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 12 mph across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min in early December to 10 h 48 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 2.4 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Gillette?

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.

0.0
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 Gillette.

What to pack for Gillette in Winter

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

In winter, Gillette sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 17°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Gillette in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gillette peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Gillette in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Gillette is worst in August — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2220 µg/m³Dec 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gillette?

Gillette sits at 44.3°N, 105.5°W, 4,554 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sheridan, 80 mi away.

Topography around Gillette

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gillette has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 ft around an average of 4,564 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,014 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,707 ft.

The land around Gillette is covered by grassland (50%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, grassland (91%) within 10 miles, and grassland (94%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
348 ft
10 miles
1,014 ft
50 miles
2,707 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Sheridan 80 mi · Casper 106 mi · Rapid City 114 mi · Billings 179 mi · Laramie 206 mi · Cheyenne 221 mi · Dickinson 222 mi · Fort Collins 257 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 Gillette (44.2911°, -105.5022°, elevation 4,554 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.