Denver, Colorado Weather
Thunder retreats as the monsoon dies. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Denver weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 7:31 AM MDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear——76°53°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast18%—84°50°+8°
- WednesdaySep 23Overcast18%—73°64°-11°
- ThursdaySep 24Overcast26%—79°62°+6°
- FridaySep 25Light Drizzle20%—81°63°+2°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast16%—84°62°+3°
- SundaySep 27Partly Cloudy19%—86°63°+2°
Air quality now AQI 51 · Moderate
AQI 51 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 11.4 µg/m³ (AQI 55) with a 0.98 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 11.4 µg/m³ (AQI 55) with a 0.98 fine-to-coarse ratio and 2 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in stagnant air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.98
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:33 PM
- Moonset
- 1:23 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder retreats as the monsoon dies
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Denver at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 65°F (high 76°F, low 53°F), 3°F above the 62°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: May 4 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 1 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots
16-Day Forecast — Denver
- Mon76°52°6%
- Tue84°50°18%
- Wed73°64°18%
- Thu79°62°26%
- Fri81°63°20%
- Sat84°62°16%
- Sun86°63°19%
- Mon81°67°29%
- Tue74°58°29%
- Wed84°57°6%
- Thu86°61°8%
- Fri86°67°17%
- Sat73°46°19%
- Sun64°46°20%
- Mon82°52°19%
- Tue78°59°9%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Denver
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Denver — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 8) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, and carrots.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Denver
SPC includes Denver in the general thunderstorm area tomorrow — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYNONENo severe risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Denver
Denver sits in Denver County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 59m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 21m — a swing of +5h 38m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Denver is the state’s largest city. The nearest town Denver tracks is Aurora, roughly 9 miles to the ESE.
Air quality in Denver
Air quality in Denver’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 50). See the full air-quality history for Denver.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| October | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Denver's warmest month is July (~75°F mean) and its coldest is December (~32°F). Rainfall peaks in May (2.3 inches) and bottoms out in January (0.5 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 0.5″ | 5 |
| February | 33° | 0.5″ | 6 |
| March | 42° | 1.1″ | 7 |
| April | 48° | 1.7″ | 8 |
| May | 58° | 2.3″ | 11 |
| June | 69° | 1.7″ | 8 |
| July | 75° | 2.1″ | 9 |
| August | 73° | 1.8″ | 9 |
| September | 64° | 1.5″ | 6 |
| October | 51° | 1.0″ | 5 |
| November | 40° | 0.7″ | 6 |
| December | 32° | 0.5″ | 5 |
Regional context
Similar climates Glendale, CO, Four Square Mile, CO, Derby, CO
In Denver, NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals put January near 32°F and July near 75°F — a 43°F seasonal arc — with about 15.4 inches of precipitation over 84 rainy or snowy days.
Precipitation in Denver runs summer-dominant: May averages 2.3 inches across 11.0 days of warm-season storms, while January drops to 0.5 inches over 5.1 rainy days of drier cool air. Denver shares that warm-season-wet pattern with places like Glendale, CO, Four Square Mile, CO and Derby, CO.
Once Denver passes May 4, freezes fade and Denver's beds take peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Denver's heat-lovers — tomatoes, peppers, squash — hold off until Denver's frost risk clears, 10-14 days on. By October 8, frost is back in Denver — protect or harvest anything tender. That date is a median: Denver freezes sooner in half of years.
Similar climates: Glendale, CO, Four Square Mile, CO, Derby, CO, North Washington, CO, Holly Hills, CO.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Denver?
- In Denver, expect the last spring frost near May 4; Denver's first autumn frost comes around October 8.
- What is the rainy season in Denver?
- Denver sees its heaviest rain in May (around 2.3 inches), part of roughly 15 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Denver?
- The warmest stretch in Denver comes in July, around 75°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Denver?
- On average December is the chilliest month in Denver, about 32°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Denver?
- Time tomatoes in Denver for two weeks after May 4; peas and greens start at Denver's frost line.
- How many rainy days does Denver get?
- Expect roughly 84 wet days a year in Denver.
- What hardiness zone is Denver?
- Denver sits in the USDA zone set by December lows near 32°F; the USDA ZIP tool gives the band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Denver?
- Denver's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Denver?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Denver in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Denver?
- Current conditions for Denver and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Denver forecast updated?
- The Denver forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Denver?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Denver are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Denver?
- The next few days in Denver's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Denver sits at 39.8°N; its climate zone is hot desert (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Denver
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