Moab in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Moab sees average daytime highs around 42°F and overnight lows near 22°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation over about 17 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 44°F in early December to 49°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
42°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
22°F
Precipitation
2.8 in
17 wet days
Avg wind
4 mph
Travel score
0.5
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Moab in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 44°F in early December to 49°F by late February.

A typical winter day in Moab reaches about 42°F and drops to 22°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Moab

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
28 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Moab 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
Jan39° / 20°0.95.54.59.60.0
Feb46° / 26°0.96.23.910.51.4
Mar57° / 34°1.05.52.611.74.6
Apr64° / 40°0.95.71.2136.5
May75° / 50°0.63.90.114.18.0
Jun87° / 60°0.31.9014.66.1
Jul92° / 67°0.53014.44.0
Aug89° / 64°0.84.8013.55.0
Sep80° / 55°1.25.3012.37.6
Oct66° / 42°1.04.90.3117.1
Nov52° / 31°0.94.82.39.93.2
Dec40° / 20°0.954.39.40.2

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Moab gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 17 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%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 4 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min in early December to 11 hours 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 3.2 kWh/m².

024DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Moab?

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.

0.5
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 Moab.

What to pack for Moab in Winter

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

In winter, Moab sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 22°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Moab in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Moab peaks around July 18 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 18UV 11Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Moab?

Moab sits at 38.6°N, 109.5°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Grand Junction, 63 mi away.

Topography around Moab

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Moab has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,470 ft around an average of 4,390 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,406 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,940 ft.

The land around Moab is covered by bare terrain (45%) and shrubs (24%) within 2 miles, bare terrain (48%) and shrubs (39%) within 10 miles, and bare terrain (38%) and shrubs (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,470 ft
10 miles
3,406 ft
50 miles
8,940 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Winter weather nearby: Grand Junction 63 mi · Clifton 69 mi · Montrose 91 mi · Telluride 104 mi · Durango 128 mi · Farmington 147 mi · Aspen 153 mi · Payson 155 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 Moab (38.5733°, -109.5498°, 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.