Lake Wales weather in January

In January, Lake Wales sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 52°F, with 2.1 in of rain across 5.4 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 71°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lake Wales's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lake Wales's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
12th warmest
Overnight low
52°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2.1 in
5.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 24 min
7:23 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
52%
6th clearest
Wind
7 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
3.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

Lake Wales is city in Polk County, Florida, United States.

Density
297/km²
people per km²
Founded
1911

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 71°F through the month.

A typical January day in Lake Wales reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 52°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17153
27153
37153
47153
57153
67153
77152
87152
97152
107152
117152
127152
137152
147151
157151
167151
177151
187151
197151
207151
217151
227151
237151
247151
257152
267152
277152
287152
297152
307152
317152

How January really feels in Lake Wales

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 Wales weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan71° / 52°2.15.410.47.4
Feb74° / 54°1.86.1117.6
Mar78° / 58°2.25.611.87.6
Apr83° / 64°2.06.212.66.6
May87° / 69°2.78.413.44.9
Jun89° / 74°6.319.413.73.2
Jul90° / 76°6.322.613.62.8
Aug90° / 76°6.423.2132.7
Sep88° / 74°5.518.412.23.6
Oct83° / 68°2.4911.36.0
Nov77° / 60°1.34.610.67.8
Dec73° / 55°1.64.810.37.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25446
35545
45446
55545
65545
75545
85545
95545
105644
115545
125545
135644
145545
155545
165545
175545
185545
195644
205545
215644
225545
235644
245545
255545
265545
275446
285446
295446
305446
315347

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lake Wales gets around 2.1 in of rain over 5.4 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 17% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
215
315
416
516
616
716
816
916
1016
1116
1216
1316
1416
1516
1616
1716
1816
1916
2017
2117
2217
2318
2418
2519
2620
2720
2821
2922
3022
3122

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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 7% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1471822121
2481822120
3481822120
4481821120
5491821120
6491821120
7511820110
8511820110
9511920100
1053191990
1154191980
1254201880
1355201870
1455201870
1557201760
1657201760
1757211750
1857211750
1957211750
2058211740
2158211740
2259201740
2359201740
2459201740
2558201840
2659191840
2758191850
2857191950
2957191950
3057191950
3156201950

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
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 h 42 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 7:22 AM to 7:20 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:225:37
210.37:225:38
310.37:225:39
410.37:225:39
510.37:235:40
610.37:235:41
710.37:235:41
810.37:235:42
910.37:235:43
1010.37:235:43
1110.37:235:44
1210.47:235:45
1310.47:235:46
1410.47:235:46
1510.47:235:47
1610.47:235:48
1710.47:235:49
1810.47:235:50
1910.57:235:50
2010.57:235:51
2110.57:235:52
2210.57:225:53
2310.57:225:53
2410.57:225:54
2510.67:225:55
2610.67:215:56
2710.67:215:57
2810.67:215:57
2910.67:205:58
3010.77:205:59
3110.77:206:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 3.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Lake Wales

In seasonPeak

None of Lake Wales'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 Wales sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Lake Wales's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Atlantic hurricane
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Lake Wales?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Lake Wales for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Lake Wales in January

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

In January, Lake Wales sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 52°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 5 days see rain.

UV index in Lake Wales in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 5 — 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 Wales peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 11Dec 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb7High
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct7Very high
Nov5High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Lake Wales 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 Wales is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Dec 219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Good
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lake Wales?

Lake Wales sits at 27.9°N, 81.6°W, 148 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Eloise, 11 mi away.

Topography around Lake Wales

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lake Wales has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 151 ft around an average of 151 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 ft.

The land around Lake Wales is covered by trees (43%), grassland (28%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 2 miles, trees (50%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (51%) and grassland (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
151 ft
10 miles
282 ft
50 miles
371 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Eloise 11 mi · Winter Haven 12 mi · Haines City 15 mi · Bartow 16 mi · Auburndale 17 mi · Poinciana 18 mi · Lakeland 24 mi · Kissimmee 30 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 Wales (27.9014°, -81.5859°, elevation 148 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).