Erie weather in January

In January, Erie sees average daytime highs of 32°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 4.4 in of precipitation across 16.6 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°F in the first days to 31°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Erie's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Erie's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 32°; 11th warmest
Overnight low: 24°; 2nd coldest
Precipitation: 4.4 in; 16.6 wet days
Daylight: 9 h 12 min; 7:52 AM – 5:07 PM
Cloud cover: 85%; 12th clearest
Wind: 15 mph; 2nd windiest
Solar energy: 1.62 kWh/m²
Travel score: 0.0; out of 10

Erie is city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Density: 1,992/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1795

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

← December Erie year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°F in the first days to 31°F by the end.

A typical January day in Erie reaches about 32°F in the afternoon and slips back to 24°F overnight — a 8°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°F and 44°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 6°F cooler than December and on par with February.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°F)	35	35	35	34	34	34	34	34	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	31	31	31	31	31	31	31	31	31	31	31	31	31	31
Avg low (°F)	28	27	27	27	27	26	26	26	25	25	25	24	24	24	24	23	23	23	23	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	35	28
2	35	27
3	35	27
4	34	27
5	34	27
6	34	26
7	34	26
8	34	26
9	33	25
10	33	25
11	33	25
12	33	24
13	33	24
14	32	24
15	32	24
16	32	23
17	32	23
18	31	23
19	31	23
20	31	22
21	31	22
22	31	22
23	31	22
24	31	22
25	31	22
26	31	22
27	31	22
28	31	22
29	31	22
30	31	22
31	31	22

How January really feels in Erie

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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

26 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Erie weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	32° / 24°	4.4	16.6	13.3	9.3	0.0
Feb	32° / 22°	3.0	11.9	8.9	10.3	0.0
Mar	37° / 28°	3.7	12.2	6	11.6	0.0
Apr	47° / 39°	4.3	13.1	2	13.1	1.3
May	59° / 51°	3.9	12.6	0	14.4	4.3
Jun	71° / 64°	4.5	13.1	0	15	6.3
Jul	76° / 69°	4.8	13.5	0	14.8	6.6
Aug	75° / 68°	4.4	12.6	0	13.7	6.8
Sep	69° / 62°	4.2	11.1	0	12.3	6.3
Oct	58° / 51°	4.9	14.5	0.1	10.8	3.9
Nov	47° / 40°	4.9	15.5	4.4	9.6	1.2
Dec	38° / 31°	5.1	17.8	11.2	9	0.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	12	12	12	12	12	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	11	11	11	12	12	13	14	14	14	16	16	16	19	19
Cloudier (%)	88	88	88	88	88	89	89	89	89	89	89	89	89	89	88	88	88	89	89	89	88	88	87	86	86	86	84	84	84	81	81

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	12	88
2	12	88
3	12	88
4	12	88
5	12	88
6	11	89
7	11	89
8	11	89
9	11	89
10	11	89
11	11	89
12	11	89
13	11	89
14	11	89
15	12	88
16	12	88
17	12	88
18	11	89
19	11	89
20	11	89
21	12	88
22	12	88
23	13	87
24	14	86
25	14	86
26	14	86
27	16	84
28	16	84
29	16	84
30	19	81
31	19	81

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Erie gets around 4.4 in of rain and snow over 16.6 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 53% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	58	59	59	59	60	60	60	60	59	59	58	57	57	56	55	54	53	52	51	50	50	49	48	48	47	47	46	46	45	45	45
Snow chance (%)	41	41	42	42	42	42	42	43	43	43	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	44	43	43	43	42	41	41	40	40	39	39

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	58	41
2	59	41
3	59	42
4	59	42
5	60	42
6	60	42
7	60	42
8	60	43
9	59	43
10	59	43
11	58	44
12	57	44
13	57	44
14	56	44
15	55	44
16	54	44
17	53	44
18	52	44
19	51	44
20	50	44
21	50	44
22	49	43
23	48	43
24	48	43
25	47	42
26	47	41
27	46	41
28	46	40
29	45	40
30	45	39
31	45	39

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in January

Winds average 15 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 mph on the calmest days to 16 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (mph)	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14
Feels	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy

	Wind speed (mph)	Feels
1	16	breezy
2	16	breezy
3	16	breezy
4	16	breezy
5	16	breezy
6	16	breezy
7	16	breezy
8	15	breezy
9	15	breezy
10	15	breezy
11	15	breezy
12	15	breezy
13	15	breezy
14	15	breezy
15	15	breezy
16	15	breezy
17	15	breezy
18	15	breezy
19	15	breezy
20	15	breezy
21	15	breezy
22	15	breezy
23	15	breezy
24	14	breezy
25	14	breezy
26	14	breezy
27	14	breezy
28	14	breezy
29	14	breezy
30	14	breezy
31	14	breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 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 7:54 AM to 7:42 AM, and sunset from 4:53 PM to 5:25 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.1	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.3	9.3	9.3	9.4	9.4	9.4	9.4	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.7	9.7
Sunrise (AM)	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:54	7:53	7:53	7:53	7:52	7:52	7:51	7:51	7:50	7:50	7:49	7:49	7:48	7:47	7:47	7:46	7:45	7:44	7:43	7:42
Sunset (PM)	4:53	4:54	4:54	4:55	4:56	4:57	4:58	4:59	5:00	5:01	5:02	5:03	5:04	5:05	5:06	5:07	5:08	5:09	5:10	5:12	5:13	5:14	5:15	5:16	5:17	5:19	5:20	5:21	5:22	5:24	5:25

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	9.0	7:54	4:53
2	9.0	7:54	4:54
3	9.0	7:54	4:54
4	9.0	7:54	4:55
5	9.0	7:54	4:56
6	9.0	7:54	4:57
7	9.1	7:54	4:58
8	9.1	7:54	4:59
9	9.1	7:54	5:00
10	9.1	7:54	5:01
11	9.1	7:54	5:02
12	9.2	7:54	5:03
13	9.2	7:53	5:04
14	9.2	7:53	5:05
15	9.2	7:53	5:06
16	9.2	7:52	5:07
17	9.3	7:52	5:08
18	9.3	7:51	5:09
19	9.3	7:51	5:10
20	9.4	7:50	5:12
21	9.4	7:50	5:13
22	9.4	7:49	5:14
23	9.4	7:49	5:15
24	9.5	7:48	5:16
25	9.5	7:47	5:17
26	9.5	7:47	5:19
27	9.6	7:46	5:20
28	9.6	7:45	5:21
29	9.6	7:44	5:22
30	9.7	7:43	5:24
31	9.7	7:42	5:25

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.54 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.62 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.8	1.8	1.8	1.9	1.9	1.9	2.0	2.0	2.1	2.1	2.1
Level	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	1.3	Dim
2	1.3	Dim
3	1.3	Dim
4	1.3	Dim
5	1.3	Dim
6	1.4	Dim
7	1.4	Dim
8	1.4	Dim
9	1.4	Dim
10	1.4	Dim
11	1.5	Dim
12	1.5	Dim
13	1.5	Dim
14	1.6	Dim
15	1.6	Dim
16	1.6	Dim
17	1.6	Dim
18	1.7	Dim
19	1.7	Dim
20	1.7	Dim
21	1.8	Dim
22	1.8	Dim
23	1.8	Dim
24	1.9	Dim
25	1.9	Dim
26	1.9	Dim
27	2.0	Dim
28	2.0	Moderate
29	2.1	Moderate
30	2.1	Moderate
31	2.1	Moderate

Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Erie?

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

0.0

Sightseeing

9th-best month of the year

0.0

Beach & pool

7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Erie.

What to pack for Erie in January

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

In January, Erie sees daytime highs around 32°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Erie in January

The nearest coast averages about 36°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 15 mi away) is warmest in August at about 74°F and coldest in February near 33°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 4 to Sep 21 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°F)	36	33	34	39	49	63	72	74	70	61	51	43
Comfort	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Cool	Refreshing	Refreshing	Refreshing	Cool	Bracing	Bracing

	Sea temperature (°F)	Comfort
Jan	36	Bracing
Feb	33	Bracing
Mar	34	Bracing
Apr	39	Bracing
May	49	Bracing
Jun	63	Cool
Jul	72	Refreshing
Aug	74	Refreshing
Sep	70	Refreshing
Oct	61	Cool
Nov	51	Bracing
Dec	43	Bracing

UV index in Erie 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 Erie peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	2	2	4	6	8	9	9	7	6	3	2	2
Level	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high	Very high	Very high	High	Moderate	Moderate	Low

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	2	Low
Feb	2	Moderate
Mar	4	Moderate
Apr	6	High
May	8	Very high
Jun	9	Very high
Jul	9	Very high
Aug	7	Very high
Sep	6	High
Oct	3	Moderate
Nov	2	Moderate
Dec	2	Low

Location & terrain

Where is Erie?

Erie sits at 42.1°N, 80.1°W, 653 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ashtabula, 40 mi away.

Topography around Erie

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Erie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 ft around an average of 650 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 981 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,611 ft.

The land around Erie is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and water (29%) within 2 miles, water (45%) and trees (33%) within 10 miles, and water (44%) and trees (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

276 ft

artificial surfaces 47%

10 miles

981 ft

water 45%

50 miles

1,611 ft

water 44%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater

← December Erie year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

January weather nearby: Ashtabula 40 mi · Jamestown 43 mi · Norfolk County 51 mi · Tillsonburg 60 mi · Hermitage 65 mi · Painesville 66 mi · Port Colborne 69 mi · Brantford 70 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

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 Erie (42.1292°, -80.0851°, elevation 653 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	35	28
2	35	27
3	35	27
4	34	27
5	34	27
6	34	26
7	34	26
8	34	26
9	33	25
10	33	25
11	33	25
12	33	24
13	33	24
14	32	24
15	32	24
16	32	23
17	32	23
18	31	23
19	31	23
20	31	22
21	31	22
22	31	22
23	31	22
24	31	22
25	31	22
26	31	22
27	31	22
28	31	22
29	31	22
30	31	22
31	31	22

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	12	88
2	12	88
3	12	88
4	12	88
5	12	88
6	11	89
7	11	89
8	11	89
9	11	89
10	11	89
11	11	89
12	11	89
13	11	89
14	11	89
15	12	88
16	12	88
17	12	88
18	11	89
19	11	89
20	11	89
21	12	88
22	12	88
23	13	87
24	14	86
25	14	86
26	14	86
27	16	84
28	16	84
29	16	84
30	19	81
31	19	81

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	58	41
2	59	41
3	59	42
4	59	42
5	60	42
6	60	42
7	60	42
8	60	43
9	59	43
10	59	43
11	58	44
12	57	44
13	57	44
14	56	44
15	55	44
16	54	44
17	53	44
18	52	44
19	51	44
20	50	44
21	50	44
22	49	43
23	48	43
24	48	43
25	47	42
26	47	41
27	46	41
28	46	40
29	45	40
30	45	39
31	45	39

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	35	28
2	35	27
3	35	27
4	34	27
5	34	27
6	34	26
7	34	26
8	34	26
9	33	25
10	33	25
11	33	25
12	33	24
13	33	24
14	32	24
15	32	24
16	32	23
17	32	23
18	31	23
19	31	23
20	31	22
21	31	22
22	31	22
23	31	22
24	31	22
25	31	22
26	31	22
27	31	22
28	31	22
29	31	22
30	31	22
31	31	22

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	12	88
2	12	88
3	12	88
4	12	88
5	12	88
6	11	89
7	11	89
8	11	89
9	11	89
10	11	89
11	11	89
12	11	89
13	11	89
14	11	89
15	12	88
16	12	88
17	12	88
18	11	89
19	11	89
20	11	89
21	12	88
22	12	88
23	13	87
24	14	86
25	14	86
26	14	86
27	16	84
28	16	84
29	16	84
30	19	81
31	19	81

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	58	41
2	59	41
3	59	42
4	59	42
5	60	42
6	60	42
7	60	42
8	60	43
9	59	43
10	59	43
11	58	44
12	57	44
13	57	44
14	56	44
15	55	44
16	54	44
17	53	44
18	52	44
19	51	44
20	50	44
21	50	44
22	49	43
23	48	43
24	48	43
25	47	42
26	47	41
27	46	41
28	46	40
29	45	40
30	45	39
31	45	39

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	35	28
2	35	27
3	35	27
4	34	27
5	34	27
6	34	26
7	34	26
8	34	26
9	33	25
10	33	25
11	33	25
12	33	24
13	33	24
14	32	24
15	32	24
16	32	23
17	32	23
18	31	23
19	31	23
20	31	22
21	31	22
22	31	22
23	31	22
24	31	22
25	31	22
26	31	22
27	31	22
28	31	22
29	31	22
30	31	22
31	31	22

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	12	88
2	12	88
3	12	88
4	12	88
5	12	88
6	11	89
7	11	89
8	11	89
9	11	89
10	11	89
11	11	89
12	11	89
13	11	89
14	11	89
15	12	88
16	12	88
17	12	88
18	11	89
19	11	89
20	11	89
21	12	88
22	12	88
23	13	87
24	14	86
25	14	86
26	14	86
27	16	84
28	16	84
29	16	84
30	19	81
31	19	81

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	58	41
2	59	41
3	59	42
4	59	42
5	60	42
6	60	42
7	60	42
8	60	43
9	59	43
10	59	43
11	58	44
12	57	44
13	57	44
14	56	44
15	55	44
16	54	44
17	53	44
18	52	44
19	51	44
20	50	44
21	50	44
22	49	43
23	48	43
24	48	43
25	47	42
26	47	41
27	46	41
28	46	40
29	45	40
30	45	39
31	45	39

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100