Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0In Denver, July heat, January chill and rainfall all sit near the middle of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 86°. Temperatures cover 64° across the year, low to high. It is a wet place: more rain and snow fall here than on 62% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 14; autumn frost returns near November 1.
A year in Denver at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Denver’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Denver’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Denver feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 198 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at New Holland 2 Se, PA, 12 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Denver’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Reading 3.5 Sw, PA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 142 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Denver
82% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at New Holland 2 Se, PA.
Living with Denver’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
198 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 14 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 1.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Denver from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Denver and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Denver in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Denver’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, PA | 22° | 86° | 46" | 27" |
| New Martinsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 46" | 27" |
| Francisville, KY | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
| Delhi Hills, OH | 23° | 86° | 46" | 23" |
| Lawrenceburg, IN | 23° | 86° | 45" | 23" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Denver averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 76% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Denver compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Denver’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Denver weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Denver’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Reading 3.5 Sw, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 22° | 3.1" | 7.4" | 11 | 8 | 21° – 38° |
| February | 42° | 23° | 2.5" | 9.5" | 12 | 11 | 21° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 30° | 3.7" | 5.0" | 12 | 5 | 34° – 50° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.6" | 0.3" | 13 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 67° – 73° |
| July | 86° | 64° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 55° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 4.2" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 3.2" | 0.8" | 10 | 1 | 38° – 48° |
| December | 43° | 27° | 3.6" | 3.9" | 12 | 5 | 26° – 46° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 45.5" | 27.2" | 142 | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 46°. September is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Denver’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Denver’s center.
- Snow: Reading 3.5 Sw, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: New Holland 2 Se, PA, 12 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Denver’s climate
What is the weather like in Denver?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 50% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Denver in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 97 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Denver get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Reading 3.5 Sw, PA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Denver?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 64°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (New Holland 2 Se, PA).
When is the first and last frost in Denver?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 198 frost-free days, at New Holland 2 Se, PA.
What growing zone is Denver in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Denver?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Denver getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Denver.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.