Lancaster weather in January

In January, Lancaster sees average daytime highs of 37°F and overnight lows near 23°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 11.2 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 37°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lancaster's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lancaster's year-round climate.

Daytime high
37°
12th warmest
Overnight low
23°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
11.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:55 AM – 5:24 PM
Cloud cover
75%
12th clearest
Wind
8 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Lancaster is city in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States.

Density
812/km²
people per km²
Founded
1800

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 37°F through the month.

A typical January day in Lancaster reaches about 37°F in the afternoon and slips back to 23°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°F and 54°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13926
23926
33925
43925
53925
63825
73825
83824
93824
103824
113824
123723
133723
143723
153723
163722
173722
183722
193622
203622
213622
223622
233622
243722
253722
263722
273722
283722
293722
303722
313822

How January really feels in Lancaster

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
18 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Lancaster weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 23°3.611.25.69.50.0
Feb41° / 25°3.1104.410.40.2
Mar51° / 33°4.311.62.611.72.3
Apr63° / 44°4.712.60.5135.0
May72° / 53°4.713.6014.26.1
Jun80° / 62°4.312.2014.86.1
Jul83° / 66°3.811.8014.55.5
Aug83° / 64°3.210.2013.66.1
Sep76° / 57°3.28.3012.37.1
Oct64° / 45°3.19.40.210.95.8
Nov51° / 35°3.39.519.82.6
Dec41° / 28°3.610.53.29.20.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32674
42575
52575
62674
72674
82575
92476
102476
112476
122476
132476
142476
152476
162377
172476
182476
192476
202476
212575
222575
232575
242674
252674
262773
272773
282773
292773
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Lancaster gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 11.2 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 37% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13614
23715
33715
43816
53816
63917
73917
83918
94018
104019
113919
123919
133919
143919
153920
163820
173820
183719
193719
203619
213619
223519
233519
243418
253418
263318
273318
283317
293317
303217
313217

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

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 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:57 AM to 7:47 AM, and sunset from 5:11 PM to 5:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:575:11
29.27:575:11
39.37:575:12
49.37:575:13
59.37:575:14
69.37:575:15
79.37:575:15
89.37:575:16
99.37:575:17
109.47:575:18
119.47:575:19
129.47:565:20
139.47:565:21
149.47:565:22
159.57:565:23
169.57:555:24
179.57:555:25
189.57:555:26
199.67:545:27
209.67:545:28
219.67:535:29
229.67:535:31
239.77:525:32
249.77:525:33
259.77:515:34
269.77:505:35
279.87:505:36
289.87:495:37
299.87:485:38
309.97:485:40
319.97:475:41

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.94 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Moderate
202.0Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Lancaster?

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 Lancaster.

What to pack for Lancaster in January

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

In January, Lancaster sees daytime highs around 37°F and nights near 23°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Lancaster 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 Lancaster peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Lancaster 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 Lancaster is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1117 µg/m³Oct 247 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lancaster?

Lancaster sits at 39.7°N, 82.6°W, 879 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Pickerington, 14 mi away.

Topography around Lancaster

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lancaster has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 ft around an average of 889 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 548 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 925 ft.

The land around Lancaster is covered by trees (45%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (42%), cropland (36%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (55%) and cropland (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
390 ft
10 miles
548 ft
50 miles
925 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Pickerington 14 mi · Pataskala 20 mi · Reynoldsburg 20 mi · Whitehall 23 mi · Gahanna 26 mi · Newark 26 mi · Columbus 27 mi · Grove City 29 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 Lancaster (39.7137°, -82.5993°, elevation 879 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).