Golden weather in October

In October, Golden sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 32°F, with 1.9 in of precipitation across 7.7 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Golden's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Golden's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
6th warmest
Overnight low
32°
7th coldest
Precipitation
1.9 in
7.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:18 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
41%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Golden is city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.

Density
783/km²
people per km²
Founded
1859

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 64°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical October day in Golden reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 32°F overnight — a 26°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 43°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 13°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16538
26438
36437
46337
56337
66236
76236
86235
96135
106135
116034
126034
136033
145933
155933
165832
175832
185831
195731
205631
215630
225630
235530
245429
255429
265328
275328
285228
295227
305127
315127

How October really feels in Golden

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 25 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
25
wind chill below the day's low

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

Golden weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 15°1.05.769.50.0
Feb39° / 16°1.16.66.710.40.0
Mar47° / 22°2.19.17.811.71.6
Apr53° / 28°3.211.68.2132.8
May62° / 37°4.115.34.114.24.6
Jun73° / 46°3.314.90.414.86.0
Jul79° / 52°3.415.9014.55.9
Aug77° / 51°3.317013.66.0
Sep70° / 44°2.210.6112.36.6
Oct58° / 32°1.97.7410.94.8
Nov46° / 22°1.36.86.19.81.3
Dec37° / 15°0.95.35.79.20.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37030
47030
57030
67030
77030
87129
97129
107129
117228
127228
137228
147228
157228
167228
177327
187228
197228
207129
217030
226931
236931
246832
256832
266733
276832
286832
296832
306931
316931

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Golden gets around 1.9 in of rain and snow over 7.7 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 24% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1287
2287
3278
4278
5268
6269
7259
8259
92410
102410
112310
122210
132210
142111
152111
162111
172112
182112
192213
202213
212314
222315
232415
242516
252517
262517
272518
282618
292518
302519
312519

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October 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 October

Winds average 5 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:02 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:025:37
211.56:035:36
311.56:045:34
411.56:055:33
511.46:065:31
611.46:075:29
711.36:085:28
811.36:095:26
911.26:105:25
1011.26:125:23
1111.16:135:21
1211.16:145:20
1311.16:155:18
1411.06:165:17
1511.06:175:15
1610.96:185:14
1710.96:195:12
1810.86:205:11
1910.86:215:10
2010.86:225:08
2110.76:235:07
2210.76:255:05
2310.66:265:04
2410.66:275:03
2510.66:285:01
2610.56:295:00
2710.56:304:59
2810.46:314:58
2910.46:324:57
3010.46:344:55
3110.36:354:54

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.62 kWh/m² to a high of 7.51 kWh/m² in June across the year — October's 4.16 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.0Bright
214.0Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Golden

In seasonPeak

In October, Golden sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Golden's rainy season runs March–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is October a good time to visit Golden?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Golden for sightseeing.

What to pack for Golden in October

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

In October, Golden sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 32°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Golden in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Golden peaks around July 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 11Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar7High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Golden in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Golden is worst in August — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (May, 13 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateAug 1620 µg/m³May 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Golden?

Golden sits at 39.8°N, 105.2°W, 5,676 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wheat Ridge, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Golden

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Golden has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,864 ft around an average of 6,106 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,738 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,498 ft.

The land around Golden is covered by grassland (58%), trees (21%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, grassland (40%) and trees (38%) within 10 miles, and trees (40%) and grassland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,864 ft
10 miles
4,738 ft
50 miles
9,498 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
October weather nearby: Wheat Ridge 7.5 mi · Arvada 8.1 mi · Lakewood 8.1 mi · Dakota Ridge 11 mi · Westminster 11 mi · Denver 12 mi · Sherrelwood 13 mi · Broomfield 14 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 Golden (39.7555°, -105.2211°, elevation 5,676 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).