Birmingham weather in January

In January, Birmingham sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 4.9 in of precipitation across 9.8 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 54°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 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Birmingham's 7th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Birmingham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
12th warmest
Overnight low
36°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.9 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
6:56 AM – 4:57 PM
Cloud cover
58%
7th clearest
Wind
7 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Birmingham is city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, United States.

Density
510/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 54°F through the month.

A typical January day in Birmingham reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 36°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 40°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15437
25437
35437
45437
55336
65336
75336
85336
95336
105336
115336
125336
135335
145335
155335
165335
175335
185335
195335
205335
215435
225435
235435
245435
255435
265435
275535
285535
295535
305536
315536

How January really feels in Birmingham

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.

Birmingham 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
Jan54° / 36°4.99.80.5103.2
Feb58° / 38°5.110.70.410.84.2
Mar66° / 45°5.711.40.211.75.9
Apr73° / 52°4.69.7012.86.9
May80° / 61°3.910.3013.76.4
Jun86° / 69°4.313.4014.24.5
Jul89° / 72°4.514.80143.7
Aug89° / 71°3.812.7013.24.0
Sep84° / 65°3.47.8012.25.8
Oct75° / 53°3.47.1011.27.4
Nov64° / 43°4.18.1010.36.1
Dec56° / 38°5.210.50.29.83.7

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 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24258
34258
44258
54159
64258
74258
84258
94159
104258
114258
124357
134258
144258
154456
164456
174456
184654
194654
204852
214951
225050
235050
245149
255149
265149
275149
285050
295050
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Birmingham gets around 4.9 in of rain and snow over 9.8 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 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1331
2331
3331
4331
5331
6331
7321
8321
9322
10322
11322
12322
13332
14332
15332
16332
17322
18322
19322
20322
21322
22322
23322
24321
25321
26321
27331
28331
29331
30331
31331

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
190631
290730
390730
490730
590730
690730
790730
890730
991630
1091630
1191630
1291630
1392620
1493520
1593520
1693520
1793520
1893520
1993520
2093520
2193520
2295410
2395410
2495410
2594510
2694510
2793520
2893520
2993520
3093520
3193520

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 48 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:56 AM to 6:51 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:564:45
29.86:564:45
39.86:564:46
49.86:574:47
59.86:574:48
69.96:574:48
79.96:574:49
89.96:574:50
99.96:574:51
109.96:574:52
119.96:574:52
129.96:574:53
1310.06:574:54
1410.06:574:55
1510.06:574:56
1610.06:564:57
1710.06:564:58
1810.06:564:58
1910.16:564:59
2010.16:555:00
2110.16:555:01
2210.16:555:02
2310.16:545:03
2410.26:545:04
2510.26:545:05
2610.26:535:06
2710.26:535:07
2810.36:525:08
2910.36:525:09
3010.36:515:10
3110.36:515:11

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.14 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.61 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
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
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Birmingham?

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

3.2
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 Birmingham.

What to pack for Birmingham in January

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

In January, Birmingham sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 36°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Birmingham in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Birmingham peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Birmingham 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 Birmingham is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1720 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Birmingham?

Birmingham sits at 33.5°N, 86.8°W, 614 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mountain Brook, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Birmingham

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Birmingham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft around an average of 636 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,076 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,811 ft.

The land around Birmingham is covered by artificial surfaces (64%) and trees (25%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) within 10 miles, and trees (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
518 ft
10 miles
1,076 ft
50 miles
1,811 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Mountain Brook 3.1 mi · Homewood 3.1 mi · Vestavia Hills 5.0 mi · Hoover 8.1 mi · Center Point 11 mi · Bessemer 12 mi · Hueytown 12 mi · Trussville 13 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 Birmingham (33.5207°, -86.8025°, elevation 614 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).