Florence weather in January

In January, Florence sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 4.8 in of precipitation across 9.9 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 50°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Florence's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Florence's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
12th warmest
Overnight low
34°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.8 in
9.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:03 AM – 4:57 PM
Cloud cover
60%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Florence is city and county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States.

Density
587/km²
people per km²
Founded
1826

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 50°F through the month.

A typical January day in Florence reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15135
25135
35035
45035
55034
65034
75034
85034
95034
105034
115034
125034
135033
145033
155033
165033
175033
185033
195033
205033
215033
225033
235133
245133
255133
265133
275133
285133
295134
305234
315234

How January really feels in Florence

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.

Florence 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
Jan50° / 34°4.89.90.79.92.4
Feb55° / 37°4.810.20.910.73.4
Mar63° / 44°5.211.50.311.75.4
Apr72° / 52°4.910.5012.86.6
May79° / 61°4.711.1013.86.4
Jun87° / 69°4.012014.34.7
Jul89° / 72°4.112.8014.13.9
Aug89° / 71°3.410.3013.34.2
Sep84° / 64°3.57.5012.26.1
Oct73° / 52°3.67.6011.17.3
Nov61° / 42°3.88.60.110.25.4
Dec53° / 36°5.210.30.49.73.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24357
34258
44258
54159
64159
74060
84060
94060
104060
114060
124060
134159
144159
154159
164159
174258
184258
194357
204456
214555
224654
234654
244654
254852
264852
274852
284852
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Florence gets around 4.8 in of rain and snow over 9.9 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 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1332
2332
3332
4332
5332
6332
7332
8332
9332
10333
11333
12333
13333
14333
15333
16333
17333
18333
19323
20323
21323
22323
23312
24312
25312
26312
27312
28312
29312
30312
31312

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19253
29253
39253
49352
59352
69262
79262
89262
99262
109352
119451
129451
139451
149451
159541
169541
179541
189541
199631
209631
219631
229631
239631
249631
259631
269631
279631
289631
299631
309631
319631

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:03 AM to 6:57 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:034:45
29.77:034:46
39.77:034:46
49.77:034:47
59.77:034:48
69.87:044:49
79.87:044:49
89.87:044:50
99.87:044:51
109.87:044:52
119.87:044:53
129.87:044:54
139.97:034:54
149.97:034:55
159.97:034:56
169.97:034:57
179.97:034:58
189.97:024:59
1910.07:025:00
2010.07:025:01
2110.07:015:02
2210.07:015:03
2310.07:015:04
2410.17:005:05
2510.17:005:06
2610.16:595:07
2710.16:595:08
2810.26:585:09
2910.26:585:10
3010.26:575:11
3110.26:575:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.18 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.48 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Florence

In seasonPeak

None of Florence's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Florence sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

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

Is January a good time to visit Florence?

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

2.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Florence.

What to pack for Florence in January

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

In January, Florence sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Florence in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Florence peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Florence 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 Florence is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Jan 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Florence?

Florence sits at 34.8°N, 87.7°W, 548 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Florence, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Florence

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Florence has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 262 ft around an average of 522 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 541 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 850 ft.

The land around Florence is covered by trees (57%) within 2 miles, trees (43%), grassland (25%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (70%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
262 ft
10 miles
541 ft
50 miles
850 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: East Florence 1.9 mi · Athens 40 mi · Decatur 42 mi · Madison 53 mi · Huntsville 62 mi · Cullman 64 mi · Columbia 67 mi · Tupelo 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
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 Florence (34.7998°, -87.6773°, elevation 548 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).