Fayetteville weather in January

In January, Fayetteville sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 2.7 in of precipitation across 7.6 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 46°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Fayetteville's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fayetteville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
12th warmest
Overnight low
29°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.7 in
7.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:32 AM – 5:20 PM
Cloud cover
55%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.4
out of 10

Fayetteville is county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, United States.

Density
579/km²
people per km²
Founded
1828

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 46°F through the month.

A typical January day in Fayetteville reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14630
24630
34629
44629
54629
64529
74529
84529
94529
104529
114629
124629
134629
144629
154629
164629
174629
184629
194629
204629
214729
224729
234729
244729
254729
264729
274730
284830
294830
304830
314830

How January really feels in Fayetteville

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.

Fayetteville weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 29°2.77.61.79.81.4
Feb51° / 33°2.77.61.510.62.6
Mar60° / 40°4.410.6111.74.7
Apr68° / 49°5.511.1012.96.1
May75° / 58°5.612.9013.96.4
Jun83° / 67°4.110.9014.45.6
Jul88° / 70°3.310.4014.24.5
Aug87° / 69°3.09.6013.44.8
Sep81° / 61°3.87.8012.26.8
Oct70° / 50°4.19011.16.9
Nov58° / 40°3.77.90.410.14.5
Dec48° / 32°3.07.61.49.62.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
85050
95050
105149
115149
125050
135050
145050
155050
165050
175149
185050
195050
205050
215149
225149
235149
245149
255149
265149
275149
285050
295050
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Fayetteville gets around 2.7 in of rain and snow over 7.6 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 24% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1246
2246
3246
4256
5256
6266
7266
8266
9266
10266
11266
12266
13266
14256
15256
16255
17245
18245
19245
20235
21235
22235
23235
24235
25235
26235
27235
28235
29236
30236
31236

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1964
2964
3964
4964
5964
6973
7973
8973
9973
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
217light breeze
227light breeze
237light breeze
247light breeze
257light breeze
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:32 AM to 7:25 AM, and sunset from 5:07 PM to 5:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:325:07
29.67:325:08
39.67:325:09
49.67:335:10
59.67:335:10
69.67:335:11
79.77:335:12
89.77:335:13
99.77:335:14
109.77:335:15
119.77:335:15
129.77:335:16
139.77:325:17
149.87:325:18
159.87:325:19
169.87:325:20
179.87:325:21
189.87:315:22
199.97:315:23
209.97:315:24
219.97:305:25
229.97:305:26
2310.07:305:27
2410.07:295:28
2510.07:295:29
2610.07:285:30
2710.17:275:31
2810.17:275:32
2910.17:265:33
3010.17:265:34
3110.27:255:35

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.55 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Fayetteville?

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

1.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Fayetteville.

What to pack for Fayetteville in January

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

In January, Fayetteville sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Fayetteville 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 Fayetteville peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Fayetteville 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 Fayetteville is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodJul 1518 µg/m³Nov 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fayetteville?

Fayetteville sits at 36.1°N, 94.2°W, 1,401 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Springdale, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Fayetteville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fayetteville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 564 ft around an average of 1,355 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,135 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,218 ft.

The land around Fayetteville is covered by trees (58%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and grassland (35%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and grassland (28%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
564 ft
10 miles
1,135 ft
50 miles
2,218 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Springdale 8.7 mi · Rogers 19 mi · Bentonville 22 mi · Siloam Springs 23 mi · Bella Vista 30 mi · Van Buren 45 mi · Tahlequah 47 mi · Fort Smith 48 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 Fayetteville (36.0626°, -94.1574°, elevation 1,401 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).