Carlsbad weather in January

In January, Carlsbad sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 0.6 in of precipitation across 2.6 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 56°F in the first days to 59°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Carlsbad's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carlsbad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
11th warmest
Overnight low
33°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.6 in
2.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
7:04 AM – 5:09 PM
Cloud cover
36%
7th clearest
Wind
8 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Carlsbad is city in and county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, United States.

Density
355/km²
people per km²
Founded
1888

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 56°F in the first days to 59°F by the end.

A typical January day in Carlsbad reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 43°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15532
25532
35633
45633
55633
65633
75633
85633
95733
105733
115733
125733
135733
145833
155833
165834
175834
185834
195834
205834
215834
225834
235934
245934
255934
265934
275934
285934
295934
305934
315935

How January really feels in Carlsbad

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.

Carlsbad weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 33°0.62.60.910.15.2
Feb63° / 38°0.62.80.710.86.8
Mar71° / 44°0.730.111.88.1
Apr79° / 51°0.72012.88.3
May88° / 61°1.14.1013.65.5
Jun95° / 69°0.74.1014.12.9
Jul95° / 72°1.25.3013.92.8
Aug93° / 71°1.26.2013.23.5
Sep87° / 64°1.65.2012.25.7
Oct77° / 53°1.24.30.111.28.1
Nov66° / 42°0.72.80.410.37.5
Dec58° / 34°0.72.70.99.95.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% 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 28%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26733
36832
46931
56931
66931
77129
87129
97129
107327
117327
127327
137426
147426
157426
167426
177426
187426
197426
207426
217426
227426
237327
247228
257228
267228
277228
287228
297228
307228
317228

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Carlsbad gets around 0.6 in of rain and snow over 2.6 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 8% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
184
284
373
473
573
673
773
872
982
1082
1182
1282
1382
1482
1582
1682
1783
1883
1983
2093
2193
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
2793
2893
2993
3093
3193

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

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.

051015151015202531
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 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 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 7:03 AM to 6:58 AM, and sunset from 4:57 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:034:57
29.97:034:58
39.97:034:59
49.97:044:59
59.97:045:00
69.97:045:01
710.07:045:02
810.07:045:02
910.07:045:03
1010.07:045:04
1110.07:045:05
1210.07:045:05
1310.07:045:06
1410.17:045:07
1510.17:045:08
1610.17:045:09
1710.17:035:10
1810.17:035:11
1910.17:035:11
2010.27:035:12
2110.27:025:13
2210.27:025:14
2310.27:025:15
2410.27:015:16
2510.37:015:17
2610.37:015:18
2710.37:005:19
2810.37:005:20
2910.46:595:20
3010.46:595:21
3110.46:585:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.29 kWh/m² to a high of 7.86 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.8Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.8Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
274.0Moderate
284.0Moderate
294.0Bright
304.0Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Carlsbad?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Carlsbad for sightseeing.

What to pack for Carlsbad in January

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

In January, Carlsbad sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 33°F. Worth packing: a warm layer.

a warm layer

UV index in Carlsbad in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Carlsbad peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — 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 — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 12Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar7Very high
Apr10Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct7High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Carlsbad 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 Carlsbad is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (October, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateJul 1016 µg/m³Oct 179 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug12Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov11Good
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Carlsbad?

Carlsbad sits at 32.4°N, 104.2°W, 3,100 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hobbs, 66 mi away.

Topography around Carlsbad

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Carlsbad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 144 ft around an average of 3,123 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 991 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,561 ft.

The land around Carlsbad is covered by artificial surfaces (39%) and shrubs (25%) within 2 miles, grassland (58%) and shrubs (24%) within 10 miles, and grassland (68%) and shrubs (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
144 ft
10 miles
991 ft
50 miles
5,561 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Hobbs 66 mi · Roswell 70 mi · Alamogordo 106 mi · West Odessa 109 mi · Odessa 116 mi · Horizon City 126 mi · Midland 129 mi · Socorro Mission Number 1 Colonia 132 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 Carlsbad (32.4207°, -104.2288°, elevation 3,100 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).