Gainesville weather in January

In January, Gainesville sees average daytime highs of 66°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 2.9 in of rain across 7.7 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 66°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Gainesville's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gainesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
66°
12th warmest
Overnight low
45°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2.9 in
7.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
7:30 AM – 5:47 PM
Cloud cover
54%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
3.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Gainesville is city and county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States.

Density
899/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

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 66°F through the month.

A typical January day in Gainesville reaches about 66°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 77°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16747
26647
36646
46646
56646
66646
76646
86646
96646
106646
116645
126645
136645
146645
156645
166645
176645
186645
196645
206645
216645
226645
236645
246645
256645
266645
276645
286645
296646
306746
316746

How January really feels in Gainesville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Gainesville weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan66° / 45°2.97.710.36.6
Feb69° / 48°2.56.910.96.9
Mar75° / 53°3.17.411.87.4
Apr80° / 58°2.26.612.77.0
May86° / 65°2.88.913.55.2
Jun89° / 72°5.318.613.93.3
Jul90° / 74°5.420.613.72.9
Aug90° / 74°5.821.413.12.9
Sep87° / 71°4.214.612.24.1
Oct81° / 63°2.27.711.36.7
Nov74° / 53°1.65.310.57.7
Dec68° / 48°2.46.710.16.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54654
64753
74753
84852
94951
104951
115050
125149
135248
145347
155347
165446
175545
185545
195545
205446
215545
225545
235446
245446
255347
265248
275149
285149
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Gainesville gets around 2.9 in of rain over 7.7 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 24% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
321
421
521
622
722
822
922
1022
1122
1223
1323
1423
1523
1623
1724
1824
1924
2025
2125
2225
2326
2426
2526
2627
2727
2827
2928
3028
3128

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 71% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16516118
26516118
36616117
46517117
56517117
66617116
76617116
86717106
96817105
106817105
117016104
127016104
13721693
14731593
15731593
16741592
17741592
18741592
19751591
20751591
21751591
22761581
23751681
24741691
25741691
26741691
27741691
28741691
29741691
30741691
31731692

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 36 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 7:29 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:295:36
210.17:295:37
310.17:295:38
410.17:295:38
510.27:305:39
610.27:305:40
710.27:305:40
810.27:305:41
910.27:305:42
1010.27:305:43
1110.27:305:43
1210.27:305:44
1310.27:305:45
1410.37:305:46
1510.37:305:46
1610.37:305:47
1710.37:305:48
1810.37:305:49
1910.37:295:50
2010.47:295:51
2110.47:295:51
2210.47:295:52
2310.47:295:53
2410.47:285:54
2510.47:285:55
2610.57:285:56
2710.57:275:56
2810.57:275:57
2910.57:265:58
3010.57:265:59
3110.67:266:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 3.16 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.9Moderate
43.0Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.4Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.4Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Gainesville

In seasonPeak

In January, Gainesville sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Gainesville's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Gainesville?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Gainesville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gainesville in January

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

In January, Gainesville sees daytime highs around 66°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Gainesville in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gainesville peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct7High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Gainesville 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 Gainesville is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJul 1619 µg/m³Dec 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gainesville?

Gainesville sits at 29.7°N, 82.3°W, 177 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ocala, 34 mi away.

Topography around Gainesville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gainesville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 164 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 ft.

The land around Gainesville is covered by trees (66%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (77%) within 10 miles, and trees (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
223 ft
50 miles
299 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Ocala 34 mi · Marion Oaks 45 mi · Oakleaf Plantation 47 mi · Lakeside 47 mi · Fleming Island 47 mi · Fruit Cove 52 mi · The Villages 54 mi · St. Johns 55 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 Gainesville (29.6516°, -82.3248°, elevation 177 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).