Charlottesville weather in January

In January, Charlottesville sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 8.2 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 45°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% 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 Charlottesville's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Charlottesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
12th warmest
Overnight low
29°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
8.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:34 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
55%
4th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Charlottesville is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
1,754/km²
people per km²
Founded
1762

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 45°F through the month.

A typical January day in Charlottesville reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 60°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14630
24630
34630
44630
54630
64630
74630
84630
94629
104529
114529
124529
134529
144529
154529
164528
174428
184428
194428
204428
214428
224428
234428
244428
254528
264528
274528
284528
294528
304628
314628

How January really feels in Charlottesville

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.

Charlottesville weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan45° / 29°3.18.22.79.71.1
Feb49° / 30°2.88.12.610.52.0
Mar57° / 37°3.910.21.611.74.1
Apr68° / 47°3.49.60.1136.2
May75° / 56°3.511.20146.6
Jun83° / 64°3.210.9014.65.5
Jul87° / 69°3.311.6014.44.5
Aug85° / 67°3.19.5013.55.2
Sep79° / 60°4.28.7012.36.8
Oct68° / 48°3.37.30116.8
Nov57° / 38°3.17.40.29.94.4
Dec48° / 32°3.48.21.69.41.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25248
35248
45248
55248
65248
75248
85149
95248
105248
115248
125347
135347
145347
155347
165446
175347
185347
195347
205446
215446
225545
235545
245545
255446
265446
275446
285347
295347
305446
315347

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Charlottesville gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 8.2 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 27% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1255
2256
3256
4256
5266
6267
7277
8277
9278
10278
11288
12288
13289
14289
15289
16289
17289
18279
19279
202710
212710
222610
232610
242610
252610
262611
272611
282611
292611
302610
312610

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19811
29811
39811
49811
59811
69811
79811
89811
99811
109811
119811
129811
139811
149910
159910
169910
179910
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
239910
249910
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 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
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 7:35 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 5:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:354:59
29.47:355:00
39.47:355:01
49.47:355:01
59.47:355:02
69.57:365:03
79.57:365:04
89.57:365:05
99.57:355:06
109.57:355:06
119.57:355:07
129.67:355:08
139.67:355:09
149.67:355:10
159.67:345:11
169.67:345:12
179.77:345:13
189.77:345:14
199.77:335:15
209.77:335:16
219.77:325:17
229.87:325:18
239.87:315:19
249.87:315:20
259.97:305:21
269.97:305:23
279.97:295:24
289.97:295:25
2910.07:285:26
3010.07:275:27
3110.07:265:28

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.39 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.39 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Charlottesville?

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

1.1
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 Charlottesville.

What to pack for Charlottesville in January

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

In January, Charlottesville sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Charlottesville?

Charlottesville sits at 38.0°N, 78.5°W, 466 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waynesboro, 22 mi away.

Topography around Charlottesville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Charlottesville has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 ft around an average of 466 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,529 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,416 ft.

The land around Charlottesville is covered by trees (67%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (76%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
915 ft
10 miles
1,529 ft
50 miles
4,416 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Waynesboro 22 mi · Staunton 34 mi · Harrisonburg 36 mi · Culpeper 40 mi · Short Pump 54 mi · Lynchburg 56 mi · West Lynchburg 58 mi · Midlothian 58 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 Charlottesville (38.0293°, -78.4767°, elevation 466 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).