Asheville weather in January

In January, Asheville sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 46°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 Asheville's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Asheville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
12th warmest
Overnight low
28°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.8 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:44 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
59%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Asheville is county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
799/km²
people per km²
Founded
1797

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 46°F through the month.

A typical January day in Asheville reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 59°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14629
24629
34629
44629
54629
64629
74629
84629
94628
104628
114628
124628
134628
144528
154528
164528
174528
184527
194527
204527
214527
224527
234527
244627
254627
264627
274627
284628
294628
304628
314728

How January really feels in Asheville

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.

Asheville weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 28°3.810.12.29.91.2
Feb49° / 31°3.39.32.210.72.1
Mar57° / 37°4.211.21.411.73.9
Apr65° / 45°3.710.10.312.95.9
May72° / 53°3.511.5013.96.4
Jun78° / 60°3.714014.46.0
Jul81° / 64°3.915.6014.25.6
Aug80° / 63°4.114.3013.35.9
Sep75° / 57°3.79.6012.26.9
Oct66° / 46°3.17.40.111.16.5
Nov56° / 36°3.38.10.410.14.0
Dec48° / 31°3.58.91.49.61.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34456
44555
54555
64456
74555
84555
94555
104654
114654
124753
134654
144654
154753
164753
174753
184753
194951
204951
215050
225050
234951
245050
255149
265149
275050
285050
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Asheville gets around 3.8 in of rain and snow over 10.1 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 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1305
2305
3315
4315
5325
6326
7336
8336
9336
10346
11347
12347
13347
14347
15347
16347
17347
18347
19337
20338
21338
22338
23328
24328
25328
26328
27328
28328
29318
30318
31318

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 7:44 AM to 7:38 AM, and sunset from 5:22 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:445:22
29.67:455:23
39.67:455:24
49.77:455:24
59.77:455:25
69.77:455:26
79.77:455:27
89.77:455:28
99.77:455:28
109.77:455:29
119.87:455:30
129.87:455:31
139.87:455:32
149.87:455:33
159.87:455:34
169.87:445:35
179.97:445:36
189.97:445:37
199.97:445:37
209.97:435:38
219.97:435:39
2210.07:425:40
2310.07:425:41
2410.07:425:42
2510.07:415:43
2610.17:415:44
2710.17:405:45
2810.17:405:46
2910.17:395:47
3010.27:385:48
3110.27:385:49

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.6 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Asheville?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Asheville.

What to pack for Asheville in January

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

In January, Asheville sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Asheville 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 Asheville peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 12UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Asheville 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 Asheville is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Asheville?

Asheville sits at 35.6°N, 82.6°W, 2,129 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greeneville, 42 mi away.

Topography around Asheville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Asheville has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 ft around an average of 2,224 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,428 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,938 ft.

The land around Asheville is covered by trees (68%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (80%) within 10 miles, and trees (87%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,165 ft
10 miles
3,428 ft
50 miles
5,938 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Greeneville 42 mi · Taylors 49 mi · Greer 49 mi · Wade Hampton 50 mi · Morganton 50 mi · Johnson City 50 mi · Greenville 52 mi · Easley 53 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 Asheville (35.6009°, -82.554°, elevation 2,129 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).