Lake Charles weather in January

In January, Lake Charles sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 5.1 in of precipitation across 9.9 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-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 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lake Charles's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lake Charles's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
12th warmest
Overnight low
44°
1st coldest
Precipitation
5.1 in
9.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 18 min
7:15 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
58%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Lake Charles is parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States.

Density
656/km²
people per km²
Founded
1861

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 Lake Charles 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 73°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)
16144
26144
36144
46144
56144
66144
76144
86144
96144
106144
116144
126144
136144
146144
156144
166144
176144
186244
196244
206244
216244
226244
236244
246244
256244
266244
276244
286244
296244
306244
316245

How January really feels in Lake Charles

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.

Lake Charles weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan62° / 44°5.19.910.35.2
Feb65° / 47°3.89.410.95.9
Mar71° / 53°4.110.411.86.6
Apr77° / 60°4.69.812.76.9
May84° / 68°4.010.513.55.6
Jun89° / 73°5.214.913.93.8
Jul90° / 75°4.516.413.83.3
Aug91° / 75°4.61613.13.2
Sep87° / 70°4.811.712.24.5
Oct80° / 60°3.88.311.37.0
Nov70° / 51°4.28.710.56.9
Dec63° / 46°4.99.510.15.7

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 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44258
54258
64258
74357
84456
94555
104555
114555
124555
134753
144654
154753
164753
174654
184654
194753
204753
214555
224654
234654
244555
254555
264555
274456
284456
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lake Charles gets around 5.1 in of rain and snow over 9.9 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 (%)
132
232
332
432
532
632
732
832
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2031
2131
2231
2331
2432
2532
2632
2732
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 (%)
17581151
27781140
37781140
47691140
57691140
67691140
77791040
876101040
97710940
107710940
117710940
127711840
137711840
147711840
157711840
167711840
177711840
187811740
197811740
207811740
217811740
227811740
237911730
247911730
257910830
267910830
277910830
287810840
297810840
307810840
317810840

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.

0246810151015202531
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 7:13 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:135:18
210.17:145:19
310.17:145:20
410.17:145:20
510.17:145:21
610.17:145:22
710.17:155:23
810.17:155:23
910.27:155:24
1010.27:155:25
1110.27:155:26
1210.27:155:26
1310.27:155:27
1410.27:155:28
1510.27:155:29
1610.37:155:30
1710.37:145:30
1810.37:145:31
1910.37:145:32
2010.37:145:33
2110.37:145:34
2210.47:135:35
2310.47:135:35
2410.47:135:36
2510.47:135:37
2610.47:125:38
2710.57:125:39
2810.57:115:40
2910.57:115:41
3010.57:115:41
3110.57:105:42

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 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in May 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
82.8Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Lake Charles

In seasonPeak

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

Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.9
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Lake Charles for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lake Charles in January

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

In January, Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles in January

The nearest coast averages about 60°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 41 mi away) is warmest in August at about 86°F and coldest in January near 60°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 1 to Nov 23 — about 7.8 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°90°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan60Cool
Feb60Cool
Mar65Cool
Apr71Refreshing
May78Warm
Jun84Tropical
Jul86Tropical
Aug86Tropical
Sep84Tropical
Oct78Warm
Nov70Refreshing
Dec63Cool

UV index in Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles peaks around July 12 at about 10 (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 12UV 10Dec 21UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7High
Apr10Very high
May10Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles is worst in July — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1622 µg/m³Dec 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov12Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lake Charles?

Lake Charles sits at 30.2°N, 93.2°W, 13 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sulphur, 11 mi away.

Topography around Lake Charles

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lake Charles has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 52 ft around an average of 20 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 335 ft.

The land around Lake Charles is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, trees (39%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (43%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
52 ft
10 miles
171 ft
50 miles
335 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Sulphur 11 mi · Orange 33 mi · Groves 47 mi · Port Arthur 50 mi · Nederland 50 mi · Beaumont 54 mi · Opelousas 70 mi · Lafayette 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 Lake Charles (30.2131°, -93.2044°, elevation 13 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).