Defiance weather in January

In January, Defiance sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 20°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Defiance's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Defiance's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
12th warmest
Overnight low
20°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
8:07 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
76%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Defiance is city in and the county seat of Defiance County, Ohio, United States.

Density
534/km²
people per km²
Founded
1822

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 33°F through the month.

A typical January day in Defiance reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 20°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°F and 49°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13523
23523
33522
43522
53522
63522
73421
83421
93421
103421
113320
123320
133320
143320
153320
163319
173319
183319
193219
203219
213219
223219
233319
243319
253319
263319
273319
283319
293319
303319
313319

How January really feels in Defiance

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Defiance weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 20°2.810.169.40.0
Feb37° / 22°2.38.54.810.30.0
Mar48° / 30°3.210.63.111.71.6
Apr60° / 41°3.9120.713.14.6
May71° / 52°4.113.2014.36.0
Jun80° / 61°3.911.5014.96.3
Jul83° / 65°3.411.1014.75.7
Aug81° / 63°3.49.9013.76.5
Sep75° / 55°2.58.2012.37.1
Oct63° / 44°2.790.110.95.6
Nov49° / 34°3.08.91.39.72.2
Dec38° / 26°2.69.23.99.10.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22575
32575
42476
52476
62476
72476
82377
92377
102377
112377
122377
132377
142377
152377
162377
172377
182278
192278
202377
212377
222377
232476
242575
252575
262575
272575
282674
292773
302773
312872

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Defiance gets around 2.8 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 32% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13215
23315
33416
43417
53517
63518
73618
83619
93619
103619
113520
123520
133420
143420
153420
163320
173319
183219
193119
203119
213019
223019
233020
243020
252920
262920
272920
282920
292920
302920
312920

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 10 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:09 AM to 7:57 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.18:095:13
29.18:095:13
39.18:095:14
49.18:095:15
59.18:095:16
69.18:095:17
79.18:095:18
89.28:095:19
99.28:095:20
109.28:085:20
119.28:085:21
129.28:085:22
139.38:085:23
149.38:075:25
159.38:075:26
169.38:075:27
179.48:065:28
189.48:065:29
199.48:065:30
209.48:055:31
219.58:055:32
229.58:045:33
239.58:035:34
249.58:035:36
259.68:025:37
269.68:015:38
279.68:015:39
289.78:005:40
299.77:595:42
309.77:585:43
319.87:575:44

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.58 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.93 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Moderate
202.0Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Defiance?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Defiance.

What to pack for Defiance in January

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

In January, Defiance sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 20°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Defiance 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 Defiance peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Defiance 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 Defiance is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Defiance?

Defiance sits at 41.3°N, 84.4°W, 676 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bowling Green, 37 mi away.

Topography around Defiance

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Defiance has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 ft around an average of 709 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 781 ft.

The land around Defiance is covered by trees (34%), grassland (23%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (66%) and trees (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (73%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
138 ft
10 miles
223 ft
50 miles
781 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Bowling Green 37 mi · New Haven 37 mi · Lima 40 mi · Findlay 40 mi · Fort Wayne 42 mi · Perrysburg 42 mi · Sylvania 45 mi · Adrian 45 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 Defiance (41.2845°, -84.3558°, elevation 676 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).