Gainesville weather in January

In January, Gainesville sees average daytime highs of 52°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 4.9 in of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 52°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 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Gainesville's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gainesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
52°
12th warmest
Overnight low
35°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.9 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:46 AM – 5:43 PM
Cloud cover
57%
6th clearest
Wind
7 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Gainesville is county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States.

Density
428/km²
people per km²
Founded
1818

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 52°F through the month.

A typical January day in Gainesville reaches about 52°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 39°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15236
25236
35235
45235
55235
65235
75235
85235
95235
105235
115235
125235
135235
145234
155234
165234
175234
185234
195234
205234
215234
225234
235234
245234
255234
265234
275234
285334
295334
305334
315334

How January really feels in Gainesville

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.

Gainesville weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 35°4.910.50.7102.8
Feb56° / 37°4.610.10.710.73.7
Mar64° / 44°4.89.90.111.75.7
Apr71° / 51°4.09.3012.86.8
May79° / 60°3.59.5013.86.8
Jun85° / 67°3.913.2014.24.9
Jul88° / 71°3.813.5014.14.1
Aug87° / 70°4.212013.34.6
Sep82° / 64°3.78.2012.26.5
Oct72° / 52°3.66.9011.17.3
Nov62° / 42°4.08.6010.25.6
Dec54° / 37°4.810.20.39.83.3

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 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54357
64357
74456
84456
94456
104357
114456
124456
134555
144654
154654
164753
174951
184951
195050
205050
215149
225149
235149
245149
255149
265149
275149
285149
295050
305050
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Gainesville gets around 4.9 in of rain and snow over 10.5 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1342
2342
3342
4342
5342
6342
7342
8342
9342
10342
11352
12352
13352
14352
15352
16352
17352
18352
19352
20352
21343
22343
23343
24343
25343
26343
27343
28343
29343
30343
31343

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19541
29541
39541
49541
59541
69541
79541
89541
99541
109541
119541
129541
139541
149631
159631
169631
179730
189730
199730
209730
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319820

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 18 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 7:46 AM to 7:40 AM, and sunset from 5:31 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:465:31
29.87:465:32
39.87:465:32
49.87:475:33
59.87:475:34
69.87:475:34
79.87:475:35
89.87:475:36
99.87:475:37
109.87:475:38
119.97:475:39
129.97:475:39
139.97:475:40
149.97:475:41
159.97:465:42
169.97:465:43
1710.07:465:44
1810.07:465:45
1910.07:465:46
2010.07:455:47
2110.07:455:47
2210.17:455:48
2310.17:445:49
2410.17:445:50
2510.17:435:51
2610.27:435:52
2710.27:425:53
2810.27:425:54
2910.27:415:55
3010.37:415:56
3110.37:405:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.3 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.62 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Gainesville

In seasonPeak

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

Gainesville 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 Gainesville?

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

2.8
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 Gainesville.

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 52°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Gainesville 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 Gainesville peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

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 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Jan 106 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gainesville?

Gainesville sits at 34.3°N, 83.8°W, 1,250 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sugar Hill, 18 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 302 ft around an average of 1,234 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 804 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,324 ft.

The land around Gainesville is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
302 ft
10 miles
804 ft
50 miles
4,324 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sugar Hill 18 mi · Winder 22 mi · Suwanee 22 mi · Lawrenceville 25 mi · Duluth 27 mi · Johns Creek 29 mi · Milton 30 mi · Alpharetta 31 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 (34.2979°, -83.8241°, elevation 1,250 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).