Carbondale weather in January

In January, Carbondale sees average daytime highs of 42°F and overnight lows near 27°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 42°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Carbondale's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carbondale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
42°
12th warmest
Overnight low
27°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:16 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover
62%
10th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Carbondale is city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States.

Density
582/km²
people per km²
Founded
1852

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 42°F through the month.

A typical January day in Carbondale reaches about 42°F in the afternoon and slips back to 27°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 58°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14329
24228
34228
44228
54228
64228
74228
84228
94228
104227
114227
124227
134227
144127
154127
164127
174127
184227
194227
204227
214227
224227
234227
244227
254227
264227
274327
284327
294328
304328
314328

How January really feels in Carbondale

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.

Carbondale 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
Jan42° / 27°3.38.92.39.70.3
Feb47° / 30°3.082.210.51.4
Mar57° / 39°4.311.20.911.73.9
Apr68° / 49°5.011.6012.96.0
May76° / 59°4.612.50146.3
Jun85° / 68°3.610.5014.65.3
Jul88° / 71°3.510014.34.5
Aug87° / 69°2.77.6013.55.1
Sep81° / 61°3.07.4012.36.9
Oct69° / 50°3.67.70.1116.9
Nov56° / 39°3.78.60.5103.9
Dec46° / 31°3.391.99.41.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23862
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
83961
94060
103961
113961
123961
133961
144060
154060
164060
174159
184357
194357
204357
214456
224456
234456
244456
254555
264555
274456
284357
294357
304357
314258

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Carbondale gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 8.9 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 31% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1287
2287
3297
4297
5307
6307
7317
8317
9318
10318
11318
12308
13308
14308
15308
16298
17298
18288
19278
20278
21278
22268
23268
24268
25268
26268
27268
28268
29268
30268
31268

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6973
7973
8973
9973
10982
11982
12982
13982
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:17 AM to 7:09 AM, and sunset from 4:43 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:174:43
29.47:174:44
39.57:174:44
49.57:174:45
59.57:184:46
69.57:184:47
79.57:184:48
89.57:184:49
99.57:184:49
109.57:174:50
119.67:174:51
129.67:174:52
139.67:174:53
149.67:174:54
159.67:174:55
169.77:164:56
179.77:164:57
189.77:164:58
199.77:154:59
209.77:155:00
219.87:155:01
229.87:145:02
239.87:145:03
249.87:135:04
259.97:135:05
269.97:125:06
279.97:115:07
2810.07:115:08
2910.07:105:09
3010.07:095:11
3110.07:095:12

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 1.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 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
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.3Moderate
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
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Carbondale?

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

0.3
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 Carbondale.

What to pack for Carbondale in January

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

In January, Carbondale sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 27°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Carbondale 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 Carbondale peaks around June 22 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 22UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Carbondale 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 Carbondale is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Nov 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Carbondale?

Carbondale sits at 37.7°N, 89.2°W, 413 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Marion, 16 mi away.

Topography around Carbondale

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Carbondale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 ft around an average of 420 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 489 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,030 ft.

The land around Carbondale is covered by trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (61%) within 10 miles, and trees (46%) and cropland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
167 ft
10 miles
489 ft
50 miles
1,030 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Marion 16 mi · Cape Girardeau 34 mi · Mount Vernon 44 mi · Paducah 56 mi · Sikeston 62 mi · Farmington 66 mi · Belleville 69 mi · O'Fallon 71 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 Carbondale (37.7273°, -89.2168°, elevation 413 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).