Lafayette weather in January

In January, Lafayette sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 5.0 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 62°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lafayette's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lafayette's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
12th warmest
Overnight low
44°
1st coldest
Precipitation
5.0 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
7:10 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
57%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Lafayette is city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States.

Density
950/km²
people per km²
Founded
1821

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 62°F through the month.

A typical January day in Lafayette reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 48°F and 74°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16244
26244
36244
46144
56144
66144
76144
86144
96144
106143
116143
126143
136143
146143
156243
166243
176243
186243
196243
206243
216243
226243
236243
246244
256244
266244
276244
286244
296244
306244
316344

How January really feels in Lafayette

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.

Lafayette weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan62° / 44°5.09.510.35.4
Feb65° / 47°4.28.810.96.0
Mar72° / 53°4.310.111.86.7
Apr78° / 59°4.39.112.77.0
May85° / 67°3.69.713.55.5
Jun89° / 73°4.514.213.93.7
Jul90° / 75°4.917.513.83.2
Aug91° / 74°4.816.113.13.2
Sep88° / 70°3.811.212.24.5
Oct80° / 60°3.87.711.37.0
Nov71° / 51°3.58.210.57.1
Dec64° / 46°4.69.210.15.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34456
44555
54555
64555
74654
84654
94753
104753
114753
124852
134852
144951
154951
164951
174951
184951
194852
204753
214753
224753
234654
244555
254555
264555
274555
284456
294456
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lafayette gets around 5.0 in of rain and snow over 9.5 wet days in January, the wettest month. 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 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
431
531
631
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1730
1831
1931
2031
2131
2231
2331
2431
2532
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 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17491151
27591150
37591150
474101150
575101140
675101140
775111040
875111040
975111040
107611940
117611940
127711930
137612930
147712830
157811830
167711840
177711840
187811740
197811740
207811740
217811740
227911640
237911640
247911640
257911640
267910740
277910740
287910740
297910740
307910740
31799750

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 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:09 AM to 7:05 AM, and sunset from 5:14 PM to 5:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:095:14
210.17:095:14
310.17:095:15
410.17:095:16
510.17:105:16
610.17:105:17
710.17:105:18
810.17:105:19
910.27:105:19
1010.27:105:20
1110.27:105:21
1210.27:105:22
1310.27:105:22
1410.27:105:23
1510.27:105:24
1610.27:105:25
1710.37:105:26
1810.37:105:26
1910.37:095:27
2010.37:095:28
2110.37:095:29
2210.47:095:30
2310.47:085:31
2410.47:085:32
2510.47:085:32
2610.47:075:33
2710.47:075:34
2810.57:075:35
2910.57:065:36
3010.57:065:37
3110.57:055:38

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.67 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.89 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Lafayette

In seasonPeak

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

Lafayette 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 Lafayette?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Lafayette for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lafayette in January

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

In January, Lafayette sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Lafayette in January

The nearest coast averages about 58°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 42 mi away) is warmest in August at about 86°F and coldest in January near 58°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 30 to Nov 15 — about 7.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°90°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan58Bracing
Feb60Cool
Mar65Cool
Apr72Refreshing
May78Warm
Jun84Tropical
Jul86Tropical
Aug86Tropical
Sep83Tropical
Oct76Warm
Nov68Cool
Dec62Cool

UV index in Lafayette 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 Lafayette peaks around July 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7High
Apr10Extreme
May10Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Lafayette 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 Lafayette is worst in July — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodGoodJul 1521 µg/m³Dec 169 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov13Moderate
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lafayette?

Lafayette sits at 30.2°N, 92.0°W, 36 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is New Iberia, 19 mi away.

Topography around Lafayette

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lafayette has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 85 ft around an average of 43 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 233 ft.

The land around Lafayette is covered by trees (41%) and artificial surfaces (41%) within 2 miles, trees (40%) and grassland (37%) within 10 miles, and trees (38%) and cropland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
85 ft
10 miles
121 ft
50 miles
233 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: New Iberia 19 mi · Opelousas 22 mi · Baton Rouge 52 mi · Zachary 59 mi · Shenandoah 62 mi · Prairieville 63 mi · Central 63 mi · Lake Charles 71 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 Lafayette (30.2241°, -92.0198°, elevation 36 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).