Central in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Central sees average daytime highs around 63°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 13.8 in of rain over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 63°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Central's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Central's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
63°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
44°F
Rainfall
13.8 in
28 wet days
Avg wind
7 mph
Travel score
5.6
3rd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Central in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 63°F.

A typical winter day in Central reaches about 63°F and drops to 44°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

20°40°60°80°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Central

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Central weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan61° / 43°4.99.410.25.2
Feb65° / 46°4.59.210.95.9
Mar71° / 52°4.79.811.86.7
Apr78° / 58°4.6912.77.0
May85° / 66°4.39.813.55.5
Jun89° / 72°4.914.313.93.8
Jul90° / 74°5.517.813.83.1
Aug91° / 74°5.516.613.13.2
Sep87° / 69°4.111.212.24.6
Oct80° / 59°3.67.711.37.1
Nov70° / 49°3.67.810.57.1
Dec63° / 45°4.49.210.15.8

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Central gets around 13.8 in of rain over 28 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 7 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min in early December to 11 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.0 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Central?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Central for sightseeing.

What to pack for Central in Winter

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

In winter, Central sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 28 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Central in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 Central peaks around July 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar6High
Apr10Very high
May10Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Central in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Central is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1623 µg/m³Jan 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Central?

Central sits at 30.6°N, 91.0°W, 66 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Zachary, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Central

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Central has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 82 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft.

The land around Central is covered by trees (70%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (68%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
187 ft
50 miles
518 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Winter weather nearby: Zachary 9.9 mi · Shenandoah 11 mi · Baton Rouge 12 mi · Prairieville 18 mi · Hammond 34 mi · Laplace 47 mi · New Iberia 60 mi · Kenner 62 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 Central (30.5543°, -91.0368°, elevation 66 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.