Elko weather in January

In January, Elko sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 15°F, with 1.6 in of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°F in the first days to 34°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 Elko's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Elko's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
12th warmest
Overnight low
15°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.6 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:11 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
64%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Elko is city in Elko County, Nevada, United States.

Density
439/km²
people per km²
Founded
1868

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°F in the first days to 34°F by the end.

A typical January day in Elko reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 15°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°F and 44°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13113
23113
33213
43214
53214
63214
73214
83214
93215
103215
113315
123315
133315
143315
153315
163315
173315
183315
193315
203315
213315
223315
233315
243416
253416
263416
273416
283416
293416
303516
313516

How January really feels in Elko

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.

Elko weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 15°1.68.98.69.40.0
Feb37° / 18°1.27.87.210.40.0
Mar46° / 25°1.79.36.411.71.3
Apr54° / 31°2.111.15.513.13.3
May65° / 40°1.99.11.814.26.1
Jun77° / 49°0.840.214.97.8
Jul88° / 59°0.21.9014.65.7
Aug86° / 57°0.31.7013.66.4
Sep76° / 47°0.73.80.212.38.3
Oct62° / 36°1.04.91.210.96.1
Nov46° / 24°1.36.559.71.4
Dec33° / 14°1.68.589.10.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23763
33664
43763
53763
63763
73862
83862
93862
103763
113862
123961
133961
144060
153961
164060
174060
184060
194060
204060
214060
224060
234060
244159
254060
264159
274159
284159
294159
304159
314060

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Elko gets around 1.6 in of rain and snow over 8.9 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 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12827
22828
32828
42928
52928
62928
72929
82929
92929
102929
112929
122928
132928
142928
152828
162828
172827
182827
192827
202827
212827
222827
232927
242927
252827
262827
272826
282726
292726
302725
312625

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 5 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 7:13 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 4:20 PM to 4:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:134:20
29.17:134:20
39.17:134:21
49.27:134:22
59.27:134:23
69.27:134:24
79.27:134:25
89.27:134:26
99.27:134:27
109.27:134:27
119.37:124:28
129.37:124:29
139.37:124:30
149.37:124:31
159.47:114:33
169.47:114:34
179.47:114:35
189.47:104:36
199.47:104:37
209.57:094:38
219.57:094:39
229.57:084:40
239.67:084:41
249.67:074:42
259.67:074:44
269.67:064:45
279.77:054:46
289.77:044:47
299.77:044:48
309.87:034:50
319.87:024:51

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 8.18 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.56 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Elko?

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
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Elko.

What to pack for Elko in January

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

In January, Elko sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 15°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Elko 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 Elko peaks around June 21 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 23 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 10Nov 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Elko 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 Elko is worst in August — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1717 µg/m³Dec 185 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr9Good
May10Good
Jun9Good
Jul11Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Elko?

Elko sits at 40.8°N, 115.8°W, 5,066 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Twin Falls, 137 mi away.

Topography around Elko

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Elko has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 548 ft around an average of 5,171 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,530 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,201 ft.

The land around Elko is covered by grassland (38%) and artificial surfaces (30%) within 2 miles, grassland (83%) within 10 miles, and grassland (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
548 ft
10 miles
2,530 ft
50 miles
7,201 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Twin Falls 137 mi · Tooele 183 mi · Kuna 187 mi · Nampa 191 mi · Magna 192 mi · Boise 193 mi · Syracuse 194 mi · Meridian 194 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 Elko (40.8324°, -115.7631°, elevation 5,066 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).