Beckley weather in January

In January, Beckley sees average daytime highs of 40°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 40°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Beckley's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Beckley's year-round climate.

Daytime high
40°
12th warmest
Overnight low
25°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
12.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:44 AM – 5:24 PM
Cloud cover
69%
11th clearest
Wind
8 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Beckley is city in and county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States.

Density
693/km²
people per km²
Founded
1838

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 40°F through the month.

A typical January day in Beckley reaches about 40°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°F and 56°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)
14227
24227
34227
44227
54227
64127
74126
84126
94126
104126
114126
124126
134025
144025
154025
164025
174024
184024
194024
204024
214024
224024
234024
244024
254024
264024
274024
284024
294024
304124
314124

How January really feels in Beckley

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.

Beckley weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 25°4.012.86.89.70.0
Feb44° / 27°4.013610.50.6
Mar52° / 34°4.914.84.711.72.5
Apr63° / 44°4.513.31.312.95.0
May69° / 52°5.316.20145.5
Jun76° / 60°5.015.8014.65.9
Jul79° / 63°5.516.6014.35.7
Aug78° / 62°3.914013.56.2
Sep73° / 56°3.910.2012.36.8
Oct63° / 45°3.49.80.4115.6
Nov53° / 35°3.410.21.9102.9
Dec44° / 29°4.112.25.49.40.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33268
43169
53169
63169
73268
83268
93268
103268
113268
123367
133268
143268
153367
163367
173367
183466
193367
203466
213466
223565
233565
243565
253565
263565
273664
283664
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Beckley gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 12.8 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 42% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13920
24020
34020
44120
54220
64220
74320
84320
94320
104421
114421
124421
134421
144421
154321
164321
174321
184322
194222
204222
214123
224123
234124
244124
254125
264125
274125
284125
294125
304225
314225

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

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 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:45 AM to 7:37 AM, and sunset from 5:11 PM to 5:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:455:11
29.47:455:11
39.47:455:12
49.57:465:13
59.57:465:14
69.57:465:15
79.57:465:15
89.57:465:16
99.57:465:17
109.57:465:18
119.67:455:19
129.67:455:20
139.67:455:21
149.67:455:22
159.67:455:23
169.77:445:24
179.77:445:25
189.77:445:26
199.77:435:27
209.77:435:28
219.87:435:29
229.87:425:30
239.87:425:31
249.87:415:32
259.97:415:33
269.97:405:34
279.97:395:35
2810.07:395:36
2910.07:385:37
3010.07:375:38
3110.07:375:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.85 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.12 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
82.0Dim
92.0Dim
102.0Dim
112.0Moderate
122.0Moderate
132.0Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Beckley?

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

0.0
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 Beckley.

What to pack for Beckley in January

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

In January, Beckley sees daytime highs around 40°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Beckley 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 Beckley peaks around July 11 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 11UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Beckley 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 Beckley is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1516 µg/m³Dec 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr10Good
May12Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Beckley?

Beckley sits at 37.8°N, 81.2°W, 2,421 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Charleston, 47 mi away.

Topography around Beckley

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Beckley has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 568 ft around an average of 2,382 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,149 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,157 ft.

The land around Beckley is covered by trees (68%) within 2 miles, trees (88%) within 10 miles, and trees (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
568 ft
10 miles
2,149 ft
50 miles
4,157 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Charleston 47 mi · Radford 56 mi · Blacksburg 57 mi · Christiansburg 62 mi · Salem 71 mi · Cave Spring 75 mi · Roanoke 77 mi · Huntington 81 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 Beckley (37.7782°, -81.1882°, elevation 2,421 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).