Austin weather in January

In January, Austin sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 2.4 in of rain across 7.1 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 61°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Austin's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Austin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
12th warmest
Overnight low
42°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2.4 in
7.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:33 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
53%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Austin is capital city of the U.S. state of Texas and seat of Travis County.

Density
1,233/km²
people per km²
Founded
1835

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 61°F through the month.

A typical January day in Austin reaches about 61°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 46°F and 74°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16042
26041
36041
46041
56041
66041
76041
86041
96041
106041
116041
126141
136141
146141
156142
166142
176142
186142
196142
206142
216242
226242
236242
246242
256242
266242
276242
286242
296243
306243
316243

How January really feels in Austin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
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.

Austin weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan61° / 42°2.47.110.35.5
Feb65° / 45°2.47.410.96.2
Mar72° / 52°2.9911.86.9
Apr79° / 59°3.38.712.77.0
May85° / 67°4.610.813.55.2
Jun91° / 73°3.09.213.93.7
Jul95° / 75°1.65.713.82.9
Aug95° / 75°2.35.613.12.7
Sep89° / 70°3.0812.24.4
Oct81° / 60°3.37.211.37.0
Nov70° / 50°2.96.710.57.1
Dec62° / 43°2.87.410.15.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55149
65149
75149
85149
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145050
155050
164951
175050
185050
195050
205050
214951
224951
234951
244951
255050
264951
274951
284852
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Austin gets around 2.4 in of rain over 7.1 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 23% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
221
321
421
521
622
722
822
922
1022
1122
1222
1322
1422
1522
1623
1723
1823
1923
2023
2123
2224
2324
2424
2524
2624
2724
2824
2925
3025
3125

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 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
186752
286761
386761
487661
587661
687661
787661
887661
987661
1087661
1187661
1288660
1388660
1489650
1589650
1689650
1788651
1888651
1988741
2088741
2188741
2288741
2389731
2489731
2589731
2688831
2788831
2887841
2986842
3086842
3186842

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:32 AM to 7:28 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:325:36
210.17:325:37
310.17:325:38
410.17:325:39
510.17:335:39
610.17:335:40
710.17:335:41
810.17:335:41
910.27:335:42
1010.27:335:43
1110.27:335:44
1210.27:335:44
1310.27:335:45
1410.27:335:46
1510.27:335:47
1610.27:335:48
1710.37:335:48
1810.37:335:49
1910.37:325:50
2010.37:325:51
2110.37:325:52
2210.37:325:53
2310.47:315:53
2410.47:315:54
2510.47:315:55
2610.47:305:56
2710.47:305:57
2810.57:305:58
2910.57:295:59
3010.57:295:59
3110.57:286:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.9Moderate
72.9Moderate
82.9Moderate
92.9Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Austin?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Austin for sightseeing.

What to pack for Austin in January

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

In January, Austin sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Austin 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 Austin peaks around July 24 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 24UV 11Dec 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7High
Apr10Very high
May10Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Austin 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 Austin is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Austin?

Austin sits at 30.3°N, 97.7°W, 489 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is University of Texas, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Austin

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Austin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 240 ft around an average of 525 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,647 ft.

The land around Austin is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and trees (33%) within 2 miles, trees (50%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (44%) and grassland (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
240 ft
10 miles
719 ft
50 miles
1,647 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: University of Texas 1.2 mi · Jollyville 12 mi · Pflugerville 14 mi · Brushy Creek 17 mi · Cedar Park 17 mi · Round Rock 17 mi · Kyle 21 mi · Hutto 22 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 Austin (30.2672°, -97.7431°, elevation 489 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).