Benton weather in January

In January, Benton sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 3.5 in of precipitation across 8.6 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-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 36% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Benton's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Benton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
12th warmest
Overnight low
35°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.5 in
8.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:22 AM – 5:17 PM
Cloud cover
57%
9th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Benton is city in and county seat of Saline County, Arkansas, United States.

Density
580/km²
people per km²
Founded
1833

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 Benton reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 66°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)
15135
25135
35135
45135
55135
65135
75135
85135
95135
105134
115134
125134
135134
145134
155134
165134
175134
185134
195134
205234
215234
225234
235234
245234
255234
265234
275335
285335
295335
305335
315335

How January really feels in Benton

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.

Benton 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
Jan51° / 35°3.58.60.69.92.8
Feb56° / 37°3.79.3110.73.7
Mar65° / 45°4.811.40.211.75.7
Apr73° / 53°5.09.8012.86.8
May81° / 62°5.312.2013.86.1
Jun89° / 70°3.09.4014.34.4
Jul92° / 73°3.310.1014.13.4
Aug91° / 72°2.78.7013.33.7
Sep85° / 65°3.47012.25.8
Oct74° / 54°3.87.4011.17.4
Nov63° / 44°4.28.3010.25.7
Dec54° / 37°4.69.10.39.73.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24753
34753
44654
54654
64654
74654
84555
94555
104654
114654
124555
134555
144555
154654
164654
174654
184753
194753
204852
214951
224951
235149
245149
255149
265149
275149
285149
295149
305149
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Benton gets around 3.5 in of rain and snow over 8.6 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 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1272
2272
3282
4282
5282
6282
7282
8282
9293
10293
11293
12303
13303
14302
15302
16302
17302
18302
19302
20292
21292
22292
23282
24282
25282
26272
27272
28273
29273
30273
31273

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19253
29253
39154
49154
59154
69244
79343
89343
99343
109433
119433
129532
139532
149532
159532
169622
179622
189622
199721
209721
219721
229721
239721
249721
259721
269721
279622
289622
299622
309622
319622

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 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 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 7:22 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 5:05 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:225:05
29.77:225:06
39.77:225:07
49.77:225:07
59.87:225:08
69.87:235:09
79.87:235:10
89.87:235:10
99.87:235:11
109.87:235:12
119.87:235:13
129.97:235:14
139.97:225:15
149.97:225:16
159.97:225:16
169.97:225:17
179.97:225:18
1810.07:225:19
1910.07:215:20
2010.07:215:21
2110.07:215:22
2210.07:205:23
2310.17:205:24
2410.17:195:25
2510.17:195:26
2610.17:195:27
2710.27:185:28
2810.27:175:29
2910.27:175:30
3010.27:165:31
3110.37:165:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.52 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Benton?

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

2.8
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 Benton.

What to pack for Benton in January

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

In January, Benton sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Benton 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 Benton peaks around June 20 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 highHighModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr9Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Benton 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 Benton is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1621 µg/m³Jan 17 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May15Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Benton?

Benton sits at 34.6°N, 92.6°W, 407 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bryant, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Benton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Benton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 ft around an average of 371 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 459 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,821 ft.

The land around Benton is covered by trees (60%) within 2 miles, trees (74%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (72%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
292 ft
10 miles
459 ft
50 miles
1,821 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Bryant 6.2 mi · Little Rock 21 mi · North Little Rock 23 mi · Maumelle 24 mi · Sherwood 27 mi · Hot Springs 27 mi · Jacksonville 34 mi · Conway 37 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 Benton (34.5645°, -92.5868°, elevation 407 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).