Apex weather in January

In January, Apex sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 51°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Apex's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Apex's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
12th warmest
Overnight low
34°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:30 AM – 5:20 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Apex is town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States of America.

Density
1,140/km²
people per km²
Founded
1873

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 51°F through the month.

A typical January day in Apex reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15235
25235
35235
45235
55235
65235
75235
85235
95135
105135
115134
125134
135134
145134
155134
165133
175133
185033
195033
205033
215033
225033
235033
245133
255133
265133
275133
285133
295133
305133
315233

How January really feels in Apex

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.

Apex weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 34°3.79.31.29.92.7
Feb55° / 36°3.291.310.63.4
Mar62° / 42°4.110.40.511.75.4
Apr72° / 51°3.59.1012.96.8
May79° / 60°3.510.4013.96.6
Jun86° / 68°4.112.1014.44.8
Jul89° / 72°4.615.2014.23.7
Aug87° / 70°4.412.4013.44.5
Sep81° / 64°4.710.2012.26.3
Oct72° / 53°3.17.2011.17.2
Nov62° / 42°3.37.70.110.15.7
Dec54° / 37°3.69.10.69.63.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
85050
95149
105149
115149
125248
135248
145347
155347
165347
175446
185347
195347
205446
215446
225347
235347
245347
255347
265347
275248
285248
295248
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Apex gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1293
2293
3293
4293
5293
6293
7293
8293
9293
10293
11293
12303
13303
14304
15304
16314
17314
18314
19315
20315
21315
22305
23305
24305
25305
26305
27305
28304
29294
30294
31294

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
192521
292521
392521
493520
593520
693520
794420
894420
994420
1094420
1194420
1295320
1395320
1495320
1596220
1696220
1797210
1897210
1997210
2097210
2198110
2298110
2398110
2498110
2598110
2698110
2798110
2898110
2998110
3097210
3197210

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:30 AM to 7:23 AM, and sunset from 5:07 PM to 5:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:305:07
29.67:305:08
39.67:305:09
49.67:315:09
59.77:315:10
69.77:315:11
79.77:315:12
89.77:315:12
99.77:315:13
109.77:315:14
119.77:315:15
129.87:315:16
139.87:305:17
149.87:305:18
159.87:305:19
169.87:305:20
179.87:305:20
189.97:295:21
199.97:295:22
209.97:295:23
219.97:285:24
2210.07:285:25
2310.07:285:26
2410.07:275:27
2510.07:275:28
2610.17:265:29
2710.17:265:30
2810.17:255:31
2910.17:245:32
3010.27:245:33
3110.27:235:34

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.57 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.57 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Apex?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Apex.

What to pack for Apex in January

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

In January, Apex sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Apex in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Apex peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Apex 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 Apex is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Nov 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Apex?

Apex sits at 35.7°N, 78.9°W, 499 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Cary, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Apex

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Apex has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft around an average of 440 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 604 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,119 ft.

The land around Apex is covered by trees (62%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
243 ft
10 miles
604 ft
50 miles
1,119 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Cary 5.6 mi · Holly Springs 5.6 mi · Morrisville 6.2 mi · Fuquay-Varina 11 mi · West Raleigh 11 mi · Raleigh 12 mi · Garner 13 mi · Chapel Hill 17 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 Apex (35.7326°, -78.8503°, elevation 499 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).