Bristol weather in January

In January, Bristol sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 12.4 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 46°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 Bristol's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bristol's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
12th warmest
Overnight low
29°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
12.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:45 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
64%
10th clearest
Wind
6 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Bristol is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
503/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 46°F through the month.

A typical January day in Bristol reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°F and 60°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)
14630
24630
34630
44630
54630
64630
74630
84630
94629
104629
114629
124529
134529
144529
154529
164529
174529
184528
194528
204528
214528
224528
234528
244528
254528
264528
274628
284629
294629
304629
314629

How January really feels in Bristol

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.

Bristol weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 29°4.012.43.99.81.1
Feb49° / 32°3.711.63.510.61.9
Mar57° / 38°4.5132.311.73.9
Apr67° / 46°3.911.90.512.95.8
May73° / 54°3.612.8013.96.3
Jun80° / 62°3.213.2014.56.1
Jul83° / 66°3.313.5014.25.5
Aug82° / 65°2.810.4013.46.3
Sep77° / 58°3.08.3012.27.1
Oct67° / 47°2.88.90.211.16.5
Nov56° / 37°3.29.70.6104.0
Dec48° / 32°4.011.72.89.51.8

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 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
23961
33862
43961
53961
63961
73961
83862
93862
103862
113862
123862
133862
143862
153961
163961
173961
183961
194060
204159
214159
224159
234159
244258
254258
264258
274258
284258
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bristol gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 12.4 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 40% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13711
23711
33811
43911
53911
64011
74011
84112
94112
104212
114212
124213
134313
144313
154313
164213
174213
184213
194113
204113
214113
224014
234014
243914
253914
263914
273914
283814
293814
303814
313814

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 7:46 AM to 7:38 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:465:18
29.57:465:19
39.67:465:20
49.67:465:20
59.67:465:21
69.67:465:22
79.67:465:23
89.67:465:24
99.67:465:24
109.67:465:25
119.77:465:26
129.77:465:27
139.77:465:28
149.77:465:29
159.77:465:30
169.87:455:31
179.87:455:32
189.87:455:33
199.87:445:34
209.87:445:35
219.97:445:36
229.97:435:37
239.97:435:38
249.97:425:39
2510.07:425:40
2610.07:415:41
2710.07:415:42
2810.07:405:43
2910.17:405:44
3010.17:395:45
3110.17:385:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.09 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Bristol?

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

1.1
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 Bristol.

What to pack for Bristol in January

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

In January, Bristol sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Bristol 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 Bristol peaks around July 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Bristol 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 Bristol is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bristol?

Bristol sits at 36.6°N, 82.2°W, 1,680 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bristol, 0.0 mi away.

Topography around Bristol

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bristol has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 594 ft around an average of 1,772 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,411 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,476 ft.

The land around Bristol is covered by trees (55%), artificial surfaces (23%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, trees (60%) and grassland (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
594 ft
10 miles
1,411 ft
50 miles
5,476 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Bristol 0.0 mi · Kingsport 21 mi · Johnson City 22 mi · Boone 39 mi · Greeneville 47 mi · Lenoir 60 mi · Morganton 65 mi · Morristown 67 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 Bristol (36.5965°, -82.1885°, elevation 1,680 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).