Burlington weather in January

In January, Burlington sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 50°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Burlington's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Burlington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
12th warmest
Overnight low
33°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:33 AM – 5:21 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Burlington is city in Alamance and Guilford counties, North Carolina, United States.

Density
798/km²
people per km²
Founded
1886

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 50°F through the month.

A typical January day in Burlington reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 64°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)
15134
25034
35034
45034
55034
65034
75034
85033
95033
105033
115033
125033
134933
144933
154932
164932
174932
184932
194932
204932
214931
224931
234931
244931
254931
264931
274932
285032
295032
305032
315032

How January really feels in Burlington

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.

Burlington weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 33°3.69.31.49.82.3
Feb53° / 35°3.28.71.410.63.1
Mar61° / 41°4.210.60.611.75.1
Apr71° / 50°3.59.4012.96.7
May78° / 59°3.411013.96.6
Jun85° / 67°3.912.5014.45.0
Jul88° / 71°4.114.3014.24.0
Aug86° / 69°3.812013.44.7
Sep80° / 63°4.39.7012.26.5
Oct71° / 51°3.17.3011.17.1
Nov60° / 41°3.27.70.110.15.3
Dec52° / 35°3.58.90.69.63.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25149
35149
45149
55149
65248
75248
85248
95248
105347
115347
125446
135545
145545
155545
165644
175644
185644
195644
205743
215743
225644
235743
245644
255644
265644
275545
285446
295347
305347
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Burlington gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1293
2293
3293
4293
5293
6293
7293
8293
9293
10304
11304
12304
13304
14315
15315
16315
17315
18315
19315
20316
21316
22316
23316
24306
25306
26306
27295
28295
29295
30285
31285

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 (%)
19442
29442
39442
49442
59442
69532
79532
89532
99532
109532
119622
129622
139721
149721
159721
169721
179721
189721
199811
209811
219811
229811
239811
249811
259811
269811
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 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 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 7:33 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 5:08 PM to 5:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:335:08
29.67:345:09
39.67:345:10
49.67:345:11
59.67:345:11
69.67:345:12
79.67:345:13
89.77:345:14
99.77:345:15
109.77:345:16
119.77:345:16
129.77:345:17
139.77:345:18
149.87:345:19
159.87:335:20
169.87:335:21
179.87:335:22
189.87:335:23
199.97:325:24
209.97:325:25
219.97:325:26
229.97:315:27
2310.07:315:28
2410.07:305:29
2510.07:305:30
2610.07:295:31
2710.17:295:32
2810.17:285:33
2910.17:285:34
3010.17:275:35
3110.27:265:36

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.55 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.6Moderate
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
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Burlington?

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

2.3
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 Burlington.

What to pack for Burlington in January

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

In January, Burlington sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Burlington 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 Burlington peaks around July 14 at about 9 (very high) — 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 highHighModerateJul 14UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Burlington 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 Burlington is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Burlington?

Burlington sits at 36.1°N, 79.4°W, 650 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greensboro, 20 mi away.

Topography around Burlington

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Burlington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft around an average of 643 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 597 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,113 ft.

The land around Burlington is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (64%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
194 ft
10 miles
597 ft
50 miles
2,113 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Greensboro 20 mi · Carrboro 24 mi · Chapel Hill 25 mi · Durham 31 mi · Eden 33 mi · High Point 33 mi · Danville 34 mi · Asheboro 34 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 Burlington (36.0957°, -79.4378°, elevation 650 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).