Cleveland weather in January

In January, Cleveland sees average daytime highs of 49°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 4.6 in of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 49°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 Cleveland's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cleveland's year-round climate.

Daytime high
49°
12th warmest
Overnight low
34°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.6 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:53 AM – 5:45 PM
Cloud cover
62%
10th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
out of 10

Cleveland is county seat of Bradley County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
630/km²
people per km²
Founded
1837

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 49°F through the month.

A typical January day in Cleveland reaches about 49°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 62°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15035
25035
35035
45035
54935
64935
74934
84934
94934
104934
114934
124934
134934
144933
154933
164933
174933
184933
194933
204933
214933
224933
234933
244933
255033
265033
275033
285033
295033
305133
315134

How January really feels in Cleveland

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.

Cleveland weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 34°4.610.11.29.92.1
Feb54° / 36°4.310.10.910.73.1
Mar62° / 42°5.011.40.211.75.1
Apr71° / 51°4.610012.96.5
May78° / 60°3.810.8013.86.6
Jun85° / 68°3.312.1014.35.0
Jul88° / 71°4.112.7014.14.2
Aug87° / 70°3.210.9013.34.6
Sep82° / 64°3.78.2012.26.3
Oct72° / 52°3.27.1011.17.3
Nov60° / 42°4.08.7010.25.2
Dec52° / 37°5.010.10.39.72.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43862
53862
63862
73862
83961
93961
104060
114060
124159
134159
144258
154258
164357
174357
184456
194555
204555
214654
224555
234555
244654
254654
264654
274654
284555
294555
304456
314357

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Cleveland gets around 4.6 in of rain and snow over 10.1 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 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1323
2323
3323
4333
5333
6334
7334
8344
9344
10344
11344
12344
13344
14344
15344
16344
17344
18334
19334
20324
21324
22324
23324
24324
25324
26314
27314
28314
29314
30314
31314

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29631
39631
49631
59631
69541
79541
89631
99631
109631
119631
129631
139631
149730
159730
169730
179820
189820
199820
209820
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319820

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 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 7:53 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:535:33
29.77:535:33
39.77:535:34
49.77:535:35
59.77:535:36
69.77:535:36
79.77:535:37
89.77:535:38
99.87:535:39
109.87:535:40
119.87:535:41
129.87:535:41
139.87:535:42
149.87:535:43
159.97:535:44
169.97:535:45
179.97:525:46
189.97:525:47
199.97:525:48
2010.07:515:49
2110.07:515:50
2210.07:515:51
2310.07:505:52
2410.07:505:53
2510.17:495:54
2610.17:495:55
2710.17:485:56
2810.17:485:57
2910.27:475:58
3010.27:475:59
3110.27:466:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
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
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Cleveland?

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

2.1
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 Cleveland.

What to pack for Cleveland in January

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

In January, Cleveland sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Cleveland in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cleveland peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Cleveland 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 Cleveland is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Jan 16 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cleveland?

Cleveland sits at 35.2°N, 84.9°W, 869 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Brainerd, 19 mi away.

Topography around Cleveland

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cleveland has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 453 ft around an average of 902 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 827 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,925 ft.

The land around Cleveland is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (63%) and grassland (31%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
453 ft
10 miles
827 ft
50 miles
4,925 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: East Brainerd 19 mi · East Chattanooga 22 mi · East Ridge 24 mi · Chattanooga 25 mi · Dalton 27 mi · Calhoun 45 mi · Rome 65 mi · Farragut 65 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 Cleveland (35.1595°, -84.8766°, elevation 869 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).