Las Cruces weather in January

In January, Las Cruces sees average daytime highs of 56°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 0.5 in of precipitation across 3 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 54°F in the first days to 58°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Las Cruces's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Las Cruces's year-round climate.

Daytime high
56°
11th warmest
Overnight low
34°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
0.5 in
3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
7:14 AM – 5:19 PM
Cloud cover
36%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Las Cruces is city in and county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States.

Founded
1849

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 54°F in the first days to 58°F by the end.

A typical January day in Las Cruces reaches about 56°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 23°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 46°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15433
25433
35433
45533
55533
65533
75533
85533
95533
105633
115633
125633
135634
145634
155634
165634
175734
185734
195734
205734
215734
225734
235735
245835
255835
265835
275835
285835
295835
305835
315935

How January really feels in Las Cruces

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.

Las Cruces weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 34°0.530.610.14.8
Feb62° / 38°0.52.90.210.86.5
Mar69° / 44°0.41.9011.88.1
Apr77° / 50°0.21.2012.88.8
May86° / 59°0.31.7013.66.4
Jun94° / 68°0.42.1014.13.4
Jul94° / 71°1.37013.93.2
Aug92° / 69°1.06.2013.23.9
Sep86° / 63°1.13.8012.26.0
Oct77° / 52°0.83.1011.28.4
Nov65° / 41°0.62.20.310.37.3
Dec56° / 34°0.73.30.69.94.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% 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 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36634
46733
56832
66832
76931
86931
97030
107030
117030
127030
137030
147228
157228
167228
177228
187228
197228
207327
217327
227327
237327
247426
257426
267426
277426
287426
297426
307426
317426

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Las Cruces gets around 0.5 in of rain and snow over 3 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 10% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1123
2113
3113
4113
5112
6102
7102
8102
9102
1092
1192
1292
1392
1482
1582
1682
1782
1892
1992
2092
2192
2292
2392
2492
25102
26102
27101
28101
29101
30101
31101

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 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 7:13 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 5:08 PM to 5:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:135:08
29.97:135:08
39.97:135:09
49.97:135:10
59.97:145:10
610.07:145:11
710.07:145:12
810.07:145:13
910.07:145:14
1010.07:145:14
1110.07:145:15
1210.07:145:16
1310.07:145:17
1410.17:145:18
1510.17:145:18
1610.17:145:19
1710.17:135:20
1810.17:135:21
1910.17:135:22
2010.27:135:23
2110.27:125:24
2210.27:125:25
2310.27:125:25
2410.27:115:26
2510.37:115:27
2610.37:115:28
2710.37:105:29
2810.37:105:30
2910.47:095:31
3010.47:095:32
3110.47:085:33

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.37 kWh/m² to a high of 8.25 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.73 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
244.0Moderate
254.0Bright
264.0Bright
274.1Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Las Cruces?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Las Cruces for sightseeing.

What to pack for Las Cruces in January

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

In January, Las Cruces sees daytime highs around 56°F and nights near 34°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Las Cruces 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 Las Cruces peaks around July 14 at about 12 (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 highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 12Dec 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7Very high
Apr10Very high
May10Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct7High
Nov5High
Dec4Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Las Cruces?

Las Cruces sits at 32.3°N, 106.8°W, 3,907 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sunland Park, 37 mi away.

Topography around Las Cruces

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Las Cruces has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 ft around an average of 3,937 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,906 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,948 ft.

The land around Las Cruces is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 2 miles, shrubs (53%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (49%) and bare terrain (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
292 ft
10 miles
1,906 ft
50 miles
4,948 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Sunland Park 37 mi · El Paso 42 mi · Ciudad Juárez 45 mi · Socorro 53 mi · Horizon City 54 mi · Socorro Mission Number 1 Colonia 55 mi · Alamogordo 63 mi · Nuevo Casas Grandes 147 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 Las Cruces (32.3123°, -106.7783°, elevation 3,907 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).