Carolina weather in January

In January, Carolina sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 39 mm of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Carolina's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carolina's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
12th warmest
Overnight low
23°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
39 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
7:03 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
38%
2nd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Carolina reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12723
22723
32723
42723
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132723
142723
152723
162722
172722
182722
192722
202722
212722
222722
232722
242722
252722
262722
272722
282722
292722
302722
312722

How January really feels in Carolina

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Carolina weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 23°3910.4116.8
Feb27° / 22°287.611.47.1
Mar28° / 23°398.411.96.9
Apr28° / 23°721112.45.8
May29° / 24°11216.212.94.7
Jun30° / 25°6813.913.14.5
Jul30° / 25°8016.5134.4
Aug30° / 25°9518.712.64.0
Sep30° / 25°13120.812.13.7
Oct29° / 25°12520.511.64.0
Nov28° / 24°11218.211.14.9
Dec27° / 23°4812.210.96.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28416
38416
48515
58614
68614
78614
88614
98614
108614
118614
128713
138713
148713
158713
168713
178713
188713
198713
208713
218713
228713
238713
248713
258713
268713
278713
288713
298713
308713
318812

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Carolina gets around 39 mm of rain over 10.4 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
336
436
537
637
737
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1437
1537
1636
1735
1835
1934
2033
2132
2231
2331
2430
2530
2629
2729
2829
2928
3028
3127

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1034453
2034552
3034651
4034750
5034849
6034948
7035047
8035146
9025345
10025444
11125443
12125542
13125641
14125740
15125839
16135937
17136036
18136135
19136333
20146332
21146530
22156529
23156628
24166627
25176626
26176725
27186724
28186724
29186823
30196723
31096823

Wind in January

Winds average 15 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:00 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.97:005:54
210.97:005:55
310.97:005:56
410.97:015:56
510.97:015:57
610.97:015:57
710.97:015:58
810.97:025:58
911.07:025:59
1011.07:026:00
1111.07:026:00
1211.07:026:01
1311.07:036:02
1411.07:036:02
1511.07:036:03
1611.07:036:03
1711.07:036:04
1811.07:036:05
1911.07:036:05
2011.07:036:06
2111.17:036:06
2211.17:036:07
2311.17:036:08
2411.17:036:08
2511.17:036:09
2611.17:036:09
2711.17:036:10
2811.17:036:11
2911.17:026:11
3011.27:026:12
3111.27:026:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 4.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Carolina

In seasonPeak

None of Carolina's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Carolina sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Carolina sees seasonal dust haze (July), heaviest in July.

Atlantic hurricane
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Carolina?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Carolina for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Carolina in January

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

In January, Carolina sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 23°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Carolina in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 29 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May27Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Carolina in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Carolina peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 13UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Carolina 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 Carolina is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.6× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1324 µg/m³Jan 15 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr8Good
May14Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Carolina?

Carolina sits at 18.4°N, 66.0°W, 16 m above sea level, in Puerto Rico. The nearest listed city is Trujillo Alto, 6.0 km away.

GuaynaboCatañoSan JuanCaguasBayamónLevittownCandelaria

Topography around Carolina

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Carolina.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Carolina has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 112 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 851 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,304 m.

The land around Carolina is covered by trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (43%) within 3 km, trees (45%), water (25%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and water (65%) and trees (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
112 m
16 km
851 m
80 km
1,304 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Trujillo Alto 6.0 km · Guaynabo 16 km · Cataño 18 km · San Juan 18 km · Caguas 19 km · Bayamón 21 km · Levittown 25 km · Candelaria 27 km

Puerto Rico travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 78% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$40,620
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2015
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
14.6
per 100k, 2023
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 56%Protestant 33%none 7%other 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 Carolina (18.3808°, -65.9574°, elevation 16 m), 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).