Albuquerque weather in January

In January, Albuquerque sees average daytime highs of 47°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 0.6 in of precipitation across 3.8 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 45°F in the first days to 49°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Albuquerque's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Albuquerque's year-round climate.

Daytime high
47°
11th warmest
Overnight low
26°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.6 in
3.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:19 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
37%
7th clearest
Wind
4 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.8
out of 10

Albuquerque is city and county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States and the largest city in the state.

Density
1,147/km²
people per km²
Founded
1706

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 45°F in the first days to 49°F by the end.

A typical January day in Albuquerque reaches about 47°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 56°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 6°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14525
24525
34525
44525
54525
64525
74526
84626
94626
104626
114626
124626
134626
144726
154726
164726
174726
184727
194727
204727
214827
224827
234827
244827
254827
264827
274927
284927
294927
304928
314928

How January really feels in Albuquerque

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Albuquerque weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 26°0.63.81.89.91.8
Feb53° / 31°0.53.61.110.73.7
Mar62° / 37°0.63.30.611.76.4
Apr69° / 44°0.52.40.312.98.0
May79° / 53°0.52.6013.88.1
Jun89° / 62°0.31.9014.35.4
Jul90° / 67°0.95.3014.14.6
Aug87° / 65°0.74.4013.35.5
Sep81° / 58°0.93.5012.27.7
Oct70° / 46°0.93.50.211.18.0
Nov56° / 34°0.63.10.610.24.9
Dec46° / 27°0.73.71.89.71.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% 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 28%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37030
47030
57030
67129
77129
87129
97129
107129
117129
127129
137129
147129
157228
167228
177228
187327
197228
207228
217228
227228
237228
247327
257327
267327
277327
287327
297327
307327
317327

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Albuquerque gets around 0.6 in of rain and snow over 3.8 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 12% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1127
2126
3126
4126
5126
6126
7126
8126
9126
10126
11126
12125
13125
14125
15125
16125
17125
18125
19125
20125
21125
22125
23125
24125
25125
26125
27126
28126
29125
30125
31125

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 4 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:19 AM to 7:13 AM, and sunset from 5:00 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:195:00
29.77:205:01
39.77:205:01
49.77:205:02
59.77:205:03
69.77:205:04
79.77:205:05
89.87:205:05
99.87:205:06
109.87:205:07
119.87:205:08
129.87:205:09
139.87:205:10
149.87:205:10
159.97:205:11
169.97:195:12
179.97:195:13
189.97:195:14
199.97:195:15
2010.07:185:16
2110.07:185:17
2210.07:185:18
2310.07:175:19
2410.17:175:20
2510.17:165:21
2610.17:165:22
2710.17:155:23
2810.27:155:24
2910.27:145:25
3010.27:145:26
3110.27:135:27

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.07 kWh/m² to a high of 8.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.6Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Albuquerque?

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

1.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Albuquerque.

What to pack for Albuquerque in January

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

In January, Albuquerque sees daytime highs around 47°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Albuquerque in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 Albuquerque peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 12Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Albuquerque?

Albuquerque sits at 35.1°N, 106.7°W, 4,957 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is South Valley, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Albuquerque

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Albuquerque has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft around an average of 5,000 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,064 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,915 ft.

The land around Albuquerque is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (43%) and grassland (31%) within 10 miles, and grassland (57%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
269 ft
10 miles
2,064 ft
50 miles
5,915 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: South Valley 5.6 mi · Rio Rancho 11 mi · Enchanted Hills 18 mi · Los Lunas 20 mi · Santa Fe 58 mi · Gallup 122 mi · Farmington 144 mi · Alamogordo 156 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 Albuquerque (35.0845°, -106.6511°, elevation 4,957 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).