Grand Canyon weather in January

In January, Grand Canyon sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 1.4 in of precipitation across 5.3 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 44°F in the first days to 47°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% 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 Grand Canyon's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grand Canyon's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
12th warmest
Overnight low
25°
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.4 in
5.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:44 AM – 5:32 PM
Cloud cover
43%
11th clearest
Wind
5 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Grand Canyon is human settlement in Coconino County, Arizona, United States of America.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 44°F in the first days to 47°F by the end.

A typical January day in Grand Canyon reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 34°F and 56°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14424
24424
34424
44424
54424
64424
74425
84425
94525
104525
114525
124525
134525
144525
154625
164625
174625
184626
194626
204626
214626
224626
234626
244626
254726
264726
274726
284727
294727
304727
314827

How January really feels in Grand Canyon

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.

Grand Canyon weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 25°1.45.33.49.81.3
Feb50° / 29°1.56.53.810.62.5
Mar58° / 34°1.15.21.911.75.0
Apr65° / 40°0.84.11.212.97.1
May76° / 49°0.42.20.113.98.5
Jun87° / 58°0.10.9014.46.2
Jul90° / 65°0.85.5014.24.4
Aug88° / 63°0.85.1013.45.2
Sep81° / 56°0.83.9012.27.7
Oct69° / 44°0.83.50.311.18.0
Nov57° / 33°0.83.61.210.14.9
Dec46° / 26°1.25.33.69.61.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36535
46535
56535
66535
76634
86634
96634
106733
116733
126634
136733
146733
156733
166634
176634
186634
196634
206436
216436
226436
236436
246436
256436
266436
276436
286436
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Grand Canyon gets around 1.4 in of rain and snow over 5.3 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 17% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11713
21712
31712
41712
51712
61711
71711
81711
91711
101711
111610
121610
131610
141610
151610
161610
171710
181710
191711
201711
211811
221811
231811
241811
251711
261711
271711
281710
291710
301610
311610

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.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 5 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 7:44 AM to 7:37 AM, and sunset from 5:19 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:445:19
29.67:445:20
39.67:445:21
49.67:455:22
59.67:455:22
69.67:455:23
79.77:455:24
89.77:455:25
99.77:455:26
109.77:455:26
119.77:455:27
129.77:455:28
139.77:445:29
149.87:445:30
159.87:445:31
169.87:445:32
179.87:445:33
189.87:435:34
199.97:435:35
209.97:435:36
219.97:425:37
229.97:425:38
2310.07:415:39
2410.07:415:40
2510.07:405:41
2610.07:405:42
2710.17:395:43
2810.17:395:44
2910.17:385:45
3010.17:385:46
3110.27:375:47

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.96 kWh/m² to a high of 8.54 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.0Moderate
23.0Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Grand Canyon?

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

1.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grand Canyon.

What to pack for Grand Canyon in January

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

In January, Grand Canyon sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Grand Canyon 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 Grand Canyon peaks around July 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 17UV 12Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Grand Canyon?

Grand Canyon sits at 36.1°N, 112.1°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Flagstaff, 65 mi away.

Topography around Grand Canyon

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Grand Canyon has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,527 ft around an average of 6,434 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,873 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,550 ft.

The land around Grand Canyon is covered by trees (71%) within 2 miles, trees (45%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%), trees (23%) and bare terrain (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
3,527 ft
10 miles
5,873 ft
50 miles
8,550 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Flagstaff 65 mi · Sedona 85 mi · Prescott Valley 100 mi · Hurricane 100 mi · Prescott 106 mi · Washington 106 mi · Saint George 108 mi · Mesquite 119 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 Grand Canyon (36.0544°, -112.1393°, elevation 0 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).