Golden in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Golden sees average daytime highs around 38°F and overnight lows near 15°F, with 3.0 in of precipitation over about 18 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 38°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Golden's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Golden's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 38°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 15°F
- Precipitation
- 3.0 in
- 18 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Golden in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 38°F.
A typical winter day in Golden reaches about 38°F and drops to 15°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Golden
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.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Golden 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 | 37° / 15° | 1.0 | 5.7 | 6 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 39° / 16° | 1.1 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 10.4 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 47° / 22° | 2.1 | 9.1 | 7.8 | 11.7 | 1.6 |
| Apr | 53° / 28° | 3.2 | 11.6 | 8.2 | 13 | 2.8 |
| May | 62° / 37° | 4.1 | 15.3 | 4.1 | 14.2 | 4.6 |
| Jun | 73° / 46° | 3.3 | 14.9 | 0.4 | 14.8 | 6.0 |
| Jul | 79° / 52° | 3.4 | 15.9 | 0 | 14.5 | 5.9 |
| Aug | 77° / 51° | 3.3 | 17 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.0 |
| Sep | 70° / 44° | 2.2 | 10.6 | 1 | 12.3 | 6.6 |
| Oct | 58° / 32° | 1.9 | 7.7 | 4 | 10.9 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 46° / 22° | 1.3 | 6.8 | 6.1 | 9.8 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 37° / 15° | 0.9 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 9.2 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Golden gets around 3.0 in of rain and snow over 18 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 9 h 24 min in early December to 11 hours 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 3.2 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Golden
None of Golden's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Golden's rainy season runs March–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Golden?
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 weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Golden.
What to pack for Golden in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Golden sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 15°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 18 days see rain.
UV index in Golden in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Golden 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 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 17 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Moderate |
| Feb | 15 | Moderate |
| Mar | 16 | Moderate |
| Apr | 13 | Moderate |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 14 | Moderate |
| Aug | 21 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 15 | Moderate |
| Nov | 15 | Moderate |
| Dec | 16 | Moderate |
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.
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 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.