Vail in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Vail sees average daytime highs around 63°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation over about 12 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 63°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Vail's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Vail's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 63°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 39°F
- Precipitation
- 3.3 in
- 12 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 mph
- Travel score
- 6.5
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Vail in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 63°F.
A typical winter day in Vail reaches about 63°F and drops to 39°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Vail
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Vail 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 | 62° / 38° | 1.0 | 3.8 | 0.5 | 10.1 | 6.4 |
| Feb | 65° / 41° | 1.1 | 4.2 | 0.3 | 10.8 | 7.0 |
| Mar | 71° / 46° | 0.6 | 2.9 | 0.2 | 11.8 | 8.2 |
| Apr | 78° / 51° | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0 | 12.8 | 8.8 |
| May | 87° / 59° | 0.1 | 0.9 | 0 | 13.6 | 6.4 |
| Jun | 95° / 69° | 0.3 | 1.9 | 0 | 14.1 | 3.3 |
| Jul | 94° / 73° | 2.1 | 11.1 | 0 | 13.9 | 2.9 |
| Aug | 92° / 71° | 1.8 | 10.6 | 0 | 13.2 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 89° / 66° | 1.3 | 5.7 | 0 | 12.2 | 5.0 |
| Oct | 81° / 56° | 0.6 | 2.7 | 0 | 11.2 | 8.0 |
| Nov | 70° / 46° | 0.7 | 2.8 | 0 | 10.4 | 8.2 |
| Dec | 61° / 38° | 1.2 | 4.3 | 0.3 | 9.9 | 6.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Vail gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 12 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 5 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min in early December to 11 h 12 min 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 4.0 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Vail?
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 reasonable time to visit Vail for sightseeing.
What to pack for Vail in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Vail sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 39°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.
UV index in Vail in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Vail peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | High |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 5 | Moderate |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Vail 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 Vail is worst in June — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 9 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) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 11 | Good |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 11 | Good |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 12 | Moderate |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Where is Vail?
Vail sits at 32.0°N, 110.7°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Tanque Verde, 14 mi away.
Topography around Vail
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Vail.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Vail has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 3,212 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,583 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,421 ft.
The land around Vail is covered by shrubs (77%) within 2 miles, shrubs (88%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (76%) 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 Vail (32.0479°, -110.712°, 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.