Ellensburg weather in January

In January, Ellensburg sees average daytime highs of 34°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 2.7 in of precipitation across 12.6 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 32°F in the first days to 36°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Ellensburg's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ellensburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
11th warmest
Overnight low
24°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
2.7 in
12.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
7:50 AM – 4:33 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
4 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Ellensburg is city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,052/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 36°F by the end.

A typical January day in Ellensburg reaches about 34°F in the afternoon and slips back to 24°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°F and 42°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 5°F cooler than February.

10°20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13222
23222
33222
43222
53222
63222
73222
83322
93323
103323
113323
123323
133323
143323
153324
163424
173424
183424
193424
203424
213524
223524
233525
243525
253525
263525
273625
283625
293625
303626
313726

How January really feels in Ellensburg

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.

Ellensburg weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 24°2.712.68.78.70.0
Feb39° / 26°1.99.16.3100.0
Mar47° / 30°1.89.94.411.61.5
Apr56° / 36°1.38.10.813.33.9
May65° / 43°1.37.3014.86.3
Jun72° / 49°0.74.6015.67.7
Jul81° / 55°0.32015.37.9
Aug81° / 54°0.31.80148.1
Sep71° / 47°0.63.4012.48.0
Oct57° / 38°1.67.20.510.64.4
Nov42° / 29°2.611.24.79.10.5
Dec33° / 23°3.112.79.68.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23367
33367
43268
53268
63268
73169
83169
93169
103169
113169
123070
133070
143169
153169
163169
173169
183169
193268
203169
213169
223070
232971
242971
253169
263169
273169
283070
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Ellensburg gets around 2.7 in of rain and snow over 12.6 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 40% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14332
24332
34332
44331
54331
64331
74330
84330
94330
104330
114230
124230
134230
144230
154230
164129
174129
184029
194028
204028
213927
223927
233827
243826
253826
263725
273725
283624
293623
303523
313523

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 4 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:54 AM to 7:38 AM, and sunset from 4:17 PM to 4:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.47:544:17
28.47:544:17
38.47:544:18
48.47:544:19
58.47:544:20
68.57:544:21
78.57:544:22
88.57:544:23
98.57:534:24
108.57:534:25
118.67:534:27
128.67:524:28
138.67:524:29
148.67:514:30
158.77:514:31
168.77:504:33
178.77:504:34
188.87:494:35
198.87:484:37
208.87:484:38
218.97:474:39
228.97:464:41
238.97:454:42
249.07:454:43
259.07:444:45
269.17:434:46
279.17:424:48
289.17:414:49
299.27:404:51
309.27:394:52
319.37:384:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.27 kWh/m² to a high of 7.71 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.51 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Ellensburg?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ellensburg.

What to pack for Ellensburg in January

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

In January, Ellensburg sees daytime highs around 34°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Ellensburg in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ellensburg peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg is worst in September — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 7.6× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1031 µg/m³Dec 204 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul9Good
Aug29Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov6Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ellensburg?

Ellensburg sits at 47.0°N, 120.5°W, 1,542 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Yakima, 27 mi away.

Topography around Ellensburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ellensburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft around an average of 1,562 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,720 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,714 ft.

The land around Ellensburg is covered by grassland (35%), artificial surfaces (25%) and trees (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (63%) and cropland (26%) within 10 miles, and grassland (45%) and trees (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
236 ft
10 miles
2,720 ft
50 miles
8,714 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Yakima 27 mi · Wenatchee 32 mi · Sunnyside 53 mi · Moses Lake 60 mi · Maple Valley 75 mi · Richland 78 mi · Covington 78 mi · Bonney Lake 78 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 Ellensburg (46.9965°, -120.5478°, elevation 1,542 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).