Kinston weather in January

In January, Kinston sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 9.2 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 54°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kinston's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kinston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
12th warmest
Overnight low
35°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
9.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:24 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
54%
4th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Kinston is city in North Carolina, United States of America.

Density
444/km²
people per km²
Founded
1762

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 54°F through the month.

A typical January day in Kinston reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15537
25537
35537
45537
55537
65537
75537
85537
95437
105436
115436
125436
135436
145436
155435
165335
175335
185335
195335
205335
215334
225334
235334
245334
255334
265334
275334
285335
295435
305435
315435

How January really feels in Kinston

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.

Kinston weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan54° / 35°3.69.219.93.4
Feb57° / 37°3.190.710.74.0
Mar64° / 43°3.6100.111.75.8
Apr72° / 52°3.28.7012.97.0
May79° / 60°3.810.5013.86.5
Jun85° / 68°4.713.8014.34.6
Jul88° / 72°5.517.3014.13.7
Aug87° / 71°5.714.8013.34.3
Sep82° / 65°5.611.6012.25.9
Oct73° / 54°3.77.7011.17.2
Nov64° / 44°3.47.9010.16.2
Dec57° / 38°3.69.10.29.74.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
45050
55050
65050
74951
84951
95050
105050
115050
125149
135149
145149
155149
165248
175248
185248
195248
205248
215248
225248
235248
245248
255248
265248
275149
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kinston gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 9.2 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1292
2282
3282
4282
5282
6282
7292
8292
9292
10292
11302
12303
13303
14303
15303
16313
17313
18314
19314
20314
21314
22304
23304
24304
25304
26304
27303
28303
29303
30303
31302

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
189641
289641
389641
490631
590631
690631
790631
890631
990631
1090631
1191621
1292521
1392521
1492521
1592521
1693511
1793511
1894411
1995410
2095410
2195410
2295410
2395410
2496310
2596310
2696310
2796310
2896310
2995410
3095410
3195410

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
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:24 AM to 7:17 AM, and sunset from 5:03 PM to 5:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:245:03
29.77:245:04
39.77:245:05
49.77:245:05
59.77:245:06
69.77:245:07
79.77:245:08
89.77:245:09
99.77:245:09
109.87:245:10
119.87:245:11
129.87:245:12
139.87:245:13
149.87:245:14
159.87:245:15
169.97:245:16
179.97:235:17
189.97:235:17
199.97:235:18
209.97:235:19
2110.07:225:20
2210.07:225:21
2310.07:215:22
2410.07:215:23
2510.17:205:24
2610.17:205:25
2710.17:195:26
2810.17:195:27
2910.27:185:28
3010.27:185:29
3110.27:175:30

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.61 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kinston?

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

3.4
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 Kinston.

What to pack for Kinston in January

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

In January, Kinston sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 35°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Kinston 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 Kinston peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Kinston 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 Kinston is worst in June — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2318 µg/m³Dec 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb12Good
Mar17Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kinston?

Kinston sits at 35.3°N, 77.6°W, 43 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Goldsboro, 25 mi away.

Topography around Kinston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Kinston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 ft around an average of 59 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 502 ft.

The land around Kinston is covered by trees (58%) within 2 miles, trees (55%) and cropland (31%) within 10 miles, and trees (65%) and cropland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
128 ft
10 miles
184 ft
50 miles
502 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Goldsboro 25 mi · Greenville 27 mi · New Bern 32 mi · Jacksonville 36 mi · Wilson 37 mi · Havelock 47 mi · Rocky Mount 48 mi · Clayton 56 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 Kinston (35.2627°, -77.5816°, elevation 43 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).