Hickory weather in January

In January, Hickory sees average daytime highs of 49°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 9.6 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 49°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% 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 Hickory's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hickory's year-round climate.

Daytime high
49°
12th warmest
Overnight low
31°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:40 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
54%
4th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.0
out of 10

Hickory is city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
523/km²
people per km²
Founded
1870

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 49°F through the month.

A typical January day in Hickory reaches about 49°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 62°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)
14933
24933
34933
44933
54933
64932
74932
84932
94932
104932
114932
124932
134932
144931
154831
164831
174831
184831
194831
204831
214831
224830
234830
244830
254930
264930
274931
284931
294931
304931
315031

How January really feels in Hickory

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.

Hickory 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
Jan49° / 31°3.79.61.59.92.0
Feb53° / 34°3.491.510.63.0
Mar60° / 40°4.410.40.811.75.0
Apr70° / 49°3.99.1012.96.6
May77° / 57°3.410.8013.96.7
Jun84° / 65°3.613014.45.1
Jul88° / 69°3.514014.24.1
Aug86° / 68°3.712.5013.44.8
Sep80° / 62°3.89.6012.26.6
Oct70° / 50°3.57.2011.17.1
Nov59° / 39°3.47.6010.15.1
Dec51° / 34°3.88.80.79.62.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55149
65149
75149
85149
95149
105149
115149
125149
135248
145347
155347
165347
175347
185446
195446
205545
215446
225545
235545
245545
255545
265446
275446
285446
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Hickory gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 9.6 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1293
2293
3293
4293
5303
6304
7304
8314
9314
10314
11324
12325
13325
14325
15325
16325
17325
18325
19325
20325
21315
22315
23315
24315
25305
26305
27305
28305
29295
30295
31295

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29631
39631
49631
59631
69631
79631
89631
99631
109631
119631
129631
139631
149730
159730
169820
179820
189820
199820
209820
219820
229910
239910
249910
259910
269910
279910
289910
299910
309910
319910

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 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
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 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 7:40 AM to 7:33 AM, and sunset from 5:17 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:405:17
29.67:405:18
39.67:405:19
49.67:405:19
59.77:415:20
69.77:415:21
79.77:415:22
89.77:415:22
99.77:415:23
109.77:415:24
119.77:415:25
129.87:415:26
139.87:405:27
149.87:405:28
159.87:405:29
169.87:405:29
179.87:405:30
189.97:395:31
199.97:395:32
209.97:395:33
219.97:385:34
2210.07:385:35
2310.07:375:36
2410.07:375:37
2510.07:375:38
2610.17:365:39
2710.17:365:40
2810.17:355:41
2910.17:345:42
3010.27:345:43
3110.27:335:44

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.58 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Hickory?

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

2.0
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 Hickory.

What to pack for Hickory in January

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

In January, Hickory sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Hickory 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 Hickory peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Hickory 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 Hickory is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1619 µg/m³Dec 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hickory?

Hickory sits at 35.7°N, 81.3°W, 1,148 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lenoir, 17 mi away.

Topography around Hickory

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hickory has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft around an average of 1,106 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,368 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,899 ft.

The land around Hickory is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
312 ft
10 miles
1,368 ft
50 miles
5,899 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Lenoir 17 mi · Morganton 19 mi · Statesville 25 mi · Mooresville 32 mi · Cornelius 32 mi · Shelby 32 mi · Gastonia 34 mi · Huntersville 36 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 Hickory (35.7332°, -81.3412°, elevation 1,148 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).