Telluride in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Telluride sees average daytime highs around 28°F and overnight lows near 8°F, with 6.5 in of precipitation over about 31 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 28°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Telluride's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Telluride's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 8°F
- Precipitation
- 6.5 in
- 31 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Telluride in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°F.
A typical winter day in Telluride reaches about 28°F and drops to 8°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Telluride
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.
Telluride 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 | 28° / 8° | 2.2 | 10 | 10.7 | 9.7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 30° / 10° | 2.3 | 11.3 | 12.2 | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 36° / 16° | 2.5 | 11.7 | 12 | 11.7 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 40° / 21° | 3.0 | 11.7 | 11.1 | 13 | 0.1 |
| May | 50° / 27° | 2.1 | 10.2 | 5.9 | 14 | 2.3 |
| Jun | 63° / 35° | 1.3 | 6.5 | 0.6 | 14.6 | 6.1 |
| Jul | 68° / 43° | 4.2 | 13.9 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.9 |
| Aug | 66° / 42° | 4.5 | 16 | 0 | 13.5 | 5.4 |
| Sep | 59° / 35° | 2.6 | 11.4 | 0.9 | 12.3 | 4.6 |
| Oct | 48° / 24° | 2.1 | 9.8 | 6.3 | 11 | 1.8 |
| Nov | 36° / 11° | 1.9 | 8.1 | 8.3 | 9.9 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 28° / 6° | 2.0 | 9.5 | 10.3 | 9.4 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Telluride gets around 6.5 in of rain and snow over 31 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 4 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 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 3.3 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Telluride?
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 Telluride.
What to pack for Telluride in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Telluride sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 8°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 31 days see rain.
UV index in Telluride in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Telluride peaks around July 10 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 3 (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) | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Where is Telluride?
Telluride sits at 37.9°N, 107.8°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Montrose, 37 mi away.
Topography around Telluride
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Telluride.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Telluride has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,481 ft around an average of 10,089 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,365 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,862 ft.
The land around Telluride is covered by trees (80%) within 2 miles, trees (54%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (26%) 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 Telluride (37.9375°, -107.8123°, 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.