Bowling Green weather in January

In January, Bowling Green sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 45°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bowling Green's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bowling Green's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
12th warmest
Overnight low
30°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:03 AM – 4:47 PM
Cloud cover
65%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Bowling Green is city and county seat of Warren, Kentucky, United States.

Density
645/km²
people per km²
Founded
1798

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 45°F through the month.

A typical January day in Bowling Green reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14631
24631
34631
44531
54531
64531
74531
84530
94530
104530
114530
124530
134529
144429
154429
164429
174429
184429
194429
204429
214429
224429
234529
244529
254529
264529
274529
284629
294629
304630
314630

How January really feels in Bowling Green

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.

Bowling Green weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan45° / 30°4.010.22.19.81.0
Feb49° / 33°4.29.91.910.62.0
Mar59° / 40°4.911.90.911.74.3
Apr69° / 49°5.111.60.112.96.1
May77° / 59°4.811.90146.4
Jun85° / 67°4.012.5014.54.9
Jul88° / 71°3.811.7014.34.2
Aug87° / 69°3.310.3013.44.6
Sep82° / 62°3.58.2012.36.5
Oct70° / 50°3.780.1117.0
Nov57° / 40°3.89.20.3104.3
Dec48° / 33°4.610.71.39.51.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23664
33664
43565
53565
63664
73664
83565
93565
103565
113565
123664
133664
143664
153763
163763
173862
183862
193961
203961
214060
224060
234159
244159
254159
264258
274159
284159
294159
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bowling Green gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 37% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1346
2346
3346
4356
5357
6357
7367
8367
9367
10378
11378
12378
13378
14368
15368
16368
17358
18348
19348
20337
21327
22317
23317
24307
25307
26307
27297
28297
29297
30297
31297

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19541
29541
39541
49541
59541
69541
79541
89541
99631
109631
119631
129631
139820
149820
159820
169820
179820
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
239910
249910
259910
269910
279811
289811
299811
309811
319811

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 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 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 7:04 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 4:34 PM to 5:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:044:34
29.57:044:35
39.57:044:35
49.57:044:36
59.57:044:37
69.67:044:38
79.67:044:39
89.67:044:39
99.67:044:40
109.67:044:41
119.67:044:42
129.67:044:43
139.77:044:44
149.77:044:45
159.77:044:46
169.77:034:47
179.77:034:48
189.87:034:49
199.87:024:50
209.87:024:51
219.87:024:52
229.97:014:53
239.97:014:54
249.97:004:55
259.97:004:56
2610.06:594:57
2710.06:594:58
2810.06:584:59
2910.06:575:00
3010.16:575:01
3110.16:565:02

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.92 kWh/m² to a high of 6.25 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Dim
22.0Dim
32.0Dim
42.0Dim
52.0Moderate
62.0Moderate
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Bowling Green?

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

1.0
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 Bowling Green.

What to pack for Bowling Green in January

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

In January, Bowling Green sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 30°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 Bowling Green in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bowling Green peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Bowling Green 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 Bowling Green is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1518 µg/m³Nov 216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bowling Green?

Bowling Green sits at 37.0°N, 86.4°W, 528 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Springfield, 41 mi away.

Topography around Bowling Green

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bowling Green has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 ft around an average of 509 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 449 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 856 ft.

The land around Bowling Green is covered by trees (45%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (42%) and grassland (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (52%), grassland (27%) and cropland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
253 ft
10 miles
449 ft
50 miles
856 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Springfield 41 mi · Gallatin 42 mi · Hendersonville 48 mi · Goodlettsville 48 mi · Lebanon 55 mi · Mount Juliet 55 mi · Hermitage 56 mi · Elizabethtown 58 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 Bowling Green (36.9903°, -86.4436°, elevation 528 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).