Carson City weather in January

In January, Carson City sees average daytime highs of 40°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 8.6 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 40°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Carson City's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carson City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
40°
11th warmest
Overnight low
26°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
8.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:22 AM – 4:54 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
4 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
2.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Carson City is independent city in and capital of the U.S. state of Nevada.

Density
144/km²
people per km²
Founded
1858

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 40°F through the month.

A typical January day in Carson City reaches about 40°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°F and 49°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13925
23925
33925
43925
53925
63926
73926
83926
93926
103926
113926
123926
133926
143926
153926
163926
173926
183926
194026
204026
214026
224026
234026
244026
254026
264026
274026
284126
294126
304126
314126

How January really feels in Carson City

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.

Carson City weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 26°3.28.68.29.60.0
Feb42° / 27°2.88.98.310.50.3
Mar48° / 30°2.68.2711.71.8
Apr54° / 34°1.36.94.7133.6
May64° / 41°1.26.81.714.16.3
Jun75° / 49°0.53.30.214.78.3
Jul84° / 56°0.32.5014.56.9
Aug83° / 57°0.32.5013.57.3
Sep76° / 52°0.42.5012.38.7
Oct63° / 42°1.141.2116.7
Nov49° / 32°1.76.64.89.92.3
Dec39° / 25°3.18.689.30.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34456
44456
54456
64555
74555
84555
94555
104456
114555
124555
134555
144456
154555
164555
174555
184753
194753
204555
214555
224555
234654
244555
254555
264456
274456
284456
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Carson City gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 8.6 wet days in January, the wettest month. 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 30% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12725
22725
32725
42725
52724
62624
72624
82624
92724
102725
112725
122826
132826
142927
152928
162928
173029
183029
193030
203030
213030
223030
233029
242929
252928
262828
272827
282826
292726
302725
312725

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 4 mph in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 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 7:24 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 4:41 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:244:41
29.37:244:42
39.37:244:42
49.37:244:43
59.37:244:44
69.37:244:45
79.47:244:46
89.47:244:47
99.47:244:48
109.47:244:48
119.47:244:49
129.47:234:50
139.57:234:51
149.57:234:52
159.57:234:53
169.57:224:54
179.67:224:55
189.67:224:56
199.67:214:57
209.67:214:58
219.77:205:00
229.77:205:01
239.77:195:02
249.77:195:03
259.87:185:04
269.87:185:05
279.87:175:06
289.87:165:07
299.97:165:08
309.97:155:10
319.97:145:11

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.42 kWh/m² to a high of 8.25 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.72 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Carson City?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Carson City.

What to pack for Carson City in January

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

In January, Carson City sees daytime highs around 40°F and nights near 26°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 Carson City 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 Carson City peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 23 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Nov 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Carson City 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 Carson City is worst in August — around 85 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 16.6× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateGoodAug 1679 µg/m³Dec 165 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr9Good
May9Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul45Poor
Aug85Unhealthy
Sep34Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Carson City?

Carson City sits at 39.2°N, 119.8°W, 4,682 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lake Tahoe, 20 mi away.

Topography around Carson City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Carson City has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,260 ft around an average of 4,793 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,833 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,088 ft.

The land around Carson City is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and grassland (33%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (40%) and grassland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,260 ft
10 miles
4,833 ft
50 miles
9,088 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Lake Tahoe 20 mi · Truckee 25 mi · Reno 25 mi · Sparks 25 mi · Sun Valley 30 mi · Spanish Springs 34 mi · Fernley 41 mi · Cameron Park 74 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 Carson City (39.1638°, -119.7674°, elevation 4,682 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).