Westminster weather in January

In January, Westminster sees average daytime highs of 42°F and overnight lows near 18°F, with 0.9 in of precipitation across 5.2 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 42°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Westminster's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Westminster's year-round climate.

Daytime high
42°
11th warmest
Overnight low
18°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.9 in
5.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:25 AM – 4:53 PM
Cloud cover
44%
5th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Westminster is city in Adams and Jefferson counties in Colorado, United States.

Density
1,327/km²
people per km²
Founded
1859

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 42°F through the month.

A typical January day in Westminster reaches about 42°F in the afternoon and slips back to 18°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 56°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14017
24017
34017
44017
54117
64117
74117
84117
94117
104118
114118
124218
134218
144218
154218
164218
174219
184219
194219
204319
214319
224319
234319
244319
254319
264319
274319
284219
294219
304219
314219

How January really feels in Westminster

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Westminster weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 18°0.95.259.50.3
Feb44° / 20°0.95.85.510.41.0
Mar53° / 27°1.97.65.711.73.3
Apr59° / 33°2.79.94.7134.7
May69° / 43°3.211114.26.2
Jun80° / 52°2.18.3014.86.8
Jul85° / 58°1.67.2014.55.5
Aug83° / 57°1.56.4013.66.3
Sep76° / 49°1.45.80.512.37.7
Oct64° / 37°1.66.12.210.96.4
Nov51° / 26°1.265.19.82.9
Dec42° / 18°0.84.84.99.20.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36832
46832
56733
66733
76733
86634
96733
106634
116634
126535
136634
146634
156535
166634
176634
186634
196436
206436
216535
226436
236436
246337
256337
266238
276238
286238
296139
306139
316040

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Westminster gets around 0.9 in of rain and snow over 5.2 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 16% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11515
21515
31515
41515
51515
61515
71515
81515
91515
101515
111515
121415
131414
141414
151414
161414
171414
181414
191414
201514
211515
221615
231616
241716
251817
261818
271918
282019
292019
302120
312120

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January 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 January

Winds average 5 mph in January.

Across January, 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 January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:27 AM to 7:17 AM, and sunset from 4:40 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:274:40
29.27:274:41
39.27:274:41
49.37:274:42
59.37:274:43
69.37:274:44
79.37:274:45
89.37:274:46
99.37:274:47
109.37:274:48
119.47:274:49
129.47:264:49
139.47:264:50
149.47:264:51
159.47:264:52
169.57:254:53
179.57:254:55
189.57:254:56
199.57:244:57
209.67:244:58
219.67:234:59
229.67:235:00
239.67:225:01
249.77:225:02
259.77:215:03
269.77:205:04
279.87:205:06
289.87:195:07
299.87:185:08
309.97:185:09
319.97:175:10

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.55 kWh/m² to a high of 7.45 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.86 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Westminster?

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

0.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Westminster.

What to pack for Westminster in January

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

In January, Westminster sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 18°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Westminster in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Westminster peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 13UV 11Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar7High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Westminster in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Westminster 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 Westminster?

Westminster sits at 39.8°N, 105.0°W, 5,384 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sherrelwood, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Westminster

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Westminster has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 358 ft around an average of 5,374 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,572 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,672 ft.

The land around Westminster is covered by artificial surfaces (67%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (49%) and grassland (31%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%) and trees (33%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
358 ft
10 miles
1,572 ft
50 miles
9,672 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Sherrelwood 1.9 mi · Arvada 3.7 mi · Thornton 4.3 mi · Northglenn 4.3 mi · Wheat Ridge 5.6 mi · Commerce City 5.6 mi · Broomfield 6.2 mi · Denver 7.5 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 Westminster (39.8366°, -105.0372°, elevation 5,384 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).