Charlotte weather in January

In January, Charlotte sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 9.4 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 51°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Charlotte's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Charlotte's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
12th warmest
Overnight low
34°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:37 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
54%
5th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Charlotte is city in and county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
1,174/km²
people per km²
Founded
1768

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 51°F through the month.

A typical January day in Charlotte reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15235
25235
35235
45235
55235
65235
75235
85135
95134
105134
115134
125134
135134
145134
155134
165133
175133
185133
195133
205133
215133
225133
235133
245133
255133
265133
275133
285133
295233
305233
315233

How January really feels in Charlotte

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.

Charlotte weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 34°3.69.41.19.92.7
Feb55° / 36°3.38.70.910.73.6
Mar63° / 43°4.29.90.311.75.6
Apr72° / 51°3.48.8012.96.9
May80° / 60°3.010.2013.86.4
Jun87° / 68°3.713.2014.34.4
Jul90° / 72°3.814.2014.13.6
Aug87° / 70°3.812.5013.34.3
Sep82° / 64°3.89.1012.26.2
Oct72° / 52°3.26.8011.17.3
Nov62° / 42°3.27.80.110.15.6
Dec54° / 36°3.79.10.69.73.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44852
54753
64852
74852
84951
94951
105149
115149
125149
135248
145347
155347
165347
175446
185446
195446
205545
215545
225545
235545
245446
255446
265446
275446
285347
295347
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Charlotte gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 9.4 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 (%)
1312
2312
3312
4312
5313
6313
7313
8313
9313
10313
11313
12313
13314
14314
15314
16314
17314
18314
19314
20314
21304
22305
23305
24294
25294
26294
27294
28294
29284
30283
31283

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19433
29433
39532
49532
59532
69532
79532
89532
99532
109532
119532
129622
139622
149622
159622
169622
179622
189721
199721
209721
219721
229811
239811
249811
259811
269811
279811
289811
299811
309721
319721

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
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 42 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:37 AM to 7:30 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 5:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:375:16
29.77:375:17
39.77:375:18
49.77:375:19
59.77:375:19
69.77:375:20
79.77:375:21
89.77:375:22
99.87:375:23
109.87:375:23
119.87:375:24
129.87:375:25
139.87:375:26
149.87:375:27
159.97:375:28
169.97:375:29
179.97:365:30
189.97:365:31
199.97:365:32
2010.07:355:32
2110.07:355:33
2210.07:355:34
2310.07:345:35
2410.07:345:36
2510.17:335:37
2610.17:335:38
2710.17:325:39
2810.17:325:40
2910.27:315:41
3010.27:315:42
3110.27:305:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.6 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Charlotte?

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

2.7
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 Charlotte.

What to pack for Charlotte in January

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

In January, Charlotte sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Charlotte 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 Charlotte peaks around July 11 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 11UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Charlotte 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 Charlotte is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Charlotte?

Charlotte sits at 35.2°N, 80.8°W, 751 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Matthews, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Charlotte

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Charlotte has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 233 ft around an average of 715 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 650 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,054 ft.

The land around Charlotte is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (41%) within 2 miles, trees (67%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (73%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
233 ft
10 miles
650 ft
50 miles
2,054 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Matthews 9.9 mi · Mint Hill 12 mi · Huntersville 12 mi · Stallings 13 mi · Indian Trail 14 mi · Cornelius 18 mi · Concord 19 mi · Gastonia 19 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 Charlotte (35.2271°, -80.8431°, elevation 751 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).