Houston weather in January

In January, Houston sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 10 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 63°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 Houston's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Houston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
12th warmest
Overnight low
45°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
10 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
7:22 AM – 5:39 PM
Cloud cover
59%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Houston is seat of Harris County, and largest city in State of Texas, United States.

Density
1,342/km²
people per km²
Founded
1836

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 63°F through the month.

A typical January day in Houston reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 75°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)
16245
26245
36245
46245
56245
66245
76245
86245
96245
106245
116245
126345
136345
146345
156345
166345
176345
186345
196345
206345
216345
226345
236446
246446
256446
266446
276446
286446
296446
306446
316446

How January really feels in Houston

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.

Houston weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan63° / 45°4.21010.35.6
Feb66° / 49°3.3910.96.1
Mar72° / 55°3.79.211.86.8
Apr78° / 61°3.88.912.76.9
May85° / 69°3.59.813.55.5
Jun89° / 74°4.512.813.93.8
Jul91° / 76°3.612.713.73.3
Aug92° / 75°3.913.313.13.2
Sep88° / 71°4.611.812.24.4
Oct81° / 62°4.18.711.36.8
Nov71° / 53°4.18.310.57.0
Dec65° / 47°4.29.610.15.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44258
54258
64357
74456
84456
94456
104555
114555
124555
134555
144654
154654
164654
174555
184456
194456
204456
214357
224456
234456
244357
254357
264357
274258
284159
294060
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Houston gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 10 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 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
531
631
731
832
932
1032
1133
1233
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1832
1932
2033
2133
2233
2333
2433
2533
2632
2732
2832
2932
3032
3132

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 76% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
177995
277995
377995
477995
577995
677995
7761095
8761095
9761095
10761095
11761095
12761194
13761194
14761194
15761194
16761194
177511104
187610104
197610104
207610104
217610104
227610104
237610104
247610104
25771094
26771094
27771094
28761194
29771184
30761185
31761185

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

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 7:21 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:215:28
210.17:215:29
310.17:225:29
410.17:225:30
510.17:225:31
610.27:225:32
710.27:225:32
810.27:225:33
910.27:225:34
1010.27:225:35
1110.27:225:35
1210.27:225:36
1310.27:225:37
1410.37:225:38
1510.37:225:38
1610.37:225:39
1710.37:225:40
1810.37:225:41
1910.37:225:42
2010.37:225:42
2110.47:215:43
2210.47:215:44
2310.47:215:45
2410.47:215:46
2510.47:205:47
2610.57:205:47
2710.57:205:48
2810.57:195:49
2910.57:195:50
3010.57:185:51
3110.67:185:52

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.6 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.88 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Houston

In seasonPeak

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

Houston 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 Houston?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Houston for sightseeing.

What to pack for Houston in January

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

In January, Houston sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Houston 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 Houston peaks around July 20 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 highHighModerateJul 20UV 11Dec 21UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar6High
Apr10Very high
May10Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Houston 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 Houston is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1523 µg/m³Dec 2010 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Houston?

Houston sits at 29.8°N, 95.4°W, 39 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West University Place, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Houston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Houston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 ft around an average of 49 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 476 ft.

The land around Houston is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (47%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and trees (43%) and grassland (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
190 ft
10 miles
259 ft
50 miles
476 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: West University Place 5.0 mi · Bellaire 6.8 mi · South Houston 11 mi · Pasadena 11 mi · Cloverleaf 12 mi · Aldine 12 mi · Alief 14 mi · Missouri City 14 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 Houston (29.7633°, -95.3633°, elevation 39 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).