Junction City weather in January

In January, Junction City sees average daytime highs of 40°F and overnight lows near 22°F, with 0.9 in of precipitation across 4.3 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 40°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 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Junction City's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Junction City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
40°
12th warmest
Overnight low
22°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.9 in
4.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:50 AM – 5:23 PM
Cloud cover
52%
8th clearest
Wind
9 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Junction City is city in and county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States.

Density
778/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 40°F through the month.

A typical January day in Junction City reaches about 40°F in the afternoon and slips back to 22°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°F and 56°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13922
23922
33921
43921
53921
63921
73921
83921
93921
103921
113921
123921
133921
143921
153921
163921
174021
184022
194022
204022
214022
224022
234122
244122
254122
264122
274122
284122
294122
304223
314223

How January really feels in Junction City

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Junction City weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 22°0.94.32.89.60.0
Feb45° / 25°1.45.32.710.51.0
Mar56° / 35°2.47.91.711.73.9
Apr66° / 45°3.69.80.5136.1
May75° / 55°5.512.1014.16.5
Jun85° / 66°4.510.6014.75.3
Jul90° / 70°3.89.7014.54.1
Aug88° / 67°3.78.9013.54.9
Sep80° / 59°3.27012.37.0
Oct68° / 46°2.57.30.2116.9
Nov54° / 35°1.75.119.93.8
Dec43° / 25°1.44.62.49.30.5

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 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55446
65545
75545
85545
95545
105644
115545
125644
135644
145644
155743
165743
175743
185644
195644
205644
215644
225644
235644
245545
255446
265446
275446
285347
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Junction City gets around 0.9 in of rain and snow over 4.3 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 14% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1148
2148
3148
4138
5138
6138
7138
8138
9138
10138
11138
12138
13138
14138
15138
16138
17138
18138
19138
20139
21139
22149
231410
241410
251410
261510
271510
281511
291611
301611
311611

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 9 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:51 AM to 7:42 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:515:10
29.37:525:10
39.37:525:11
49.37:525:12
59.37:525:13
69.47:525:14
79.47:525:14
89.47:525:15
99.47:525:16
109.47:525:17
119.47:515:18
129.57:515:19
139.57:515:20
149.57:515:21
159.57:515:22
169.57:505:23
179.67:505:24
189.67:505:25
199.67:495:26
209.67:495:27
219.77:485:28
229.77:485:29
239.77:475:30
249.77:475:31
259.87:465:32
269.87:465:34
279.87:455:35
289.97:445:36
299.97:445:37
309.97:435:38
3110.07:425:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.19 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.51 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Junction City

In seasonPeak

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

Junction City's rainy season runs April–October, 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 Junction City?

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

0.0
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 Junction City.

What to pack for Junction City in January

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

In January, Junction City sees daytime highs around 40°F and nights near 22°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Junction City in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Junction City 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 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Junction City 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 Junction City is worst in April — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 5.1× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1530 µg/m³Oct 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr32Moderate
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Junction City?

Junction City sits at 39.0°N, 96.8°W, 1,106 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Manhattan, 17 mi away.

Topography around Junction City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Junction City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 ft around an average of 1,129 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Junction City is covered by trees (36%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, grassland (49%), trees (22%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (56%) and cropland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
253 ft
10 miles
384 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Manhattan 17 mi · Salina 44 mi · Emporia 55 mi · Topeka 62 mi · Newton 73 mi · Lawrence 86 mi · Hutchinson 89 mi · Wichita 96 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 Junction City (39.0286°, -96.8314°, elevation 1,106 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).