Laurel weather in January

In January, Laurel sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 4.5 in of precipitation across 9.6 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 58°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 hours at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Laurel's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Laurel's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
12th warmest
Overnight low
39°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.5 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
7:02 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
57%
6th clearest
Wind
7 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Laurel is city in and county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States.

Density
440/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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 58°F through the month.

A typical January day in Laurel reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 71°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)
15840
25840
35840
45840
55840
65840
75840
85839
95839
105839
115839
125839
135839
145839
155839
165839
175839
185839
195839
205839
215839
225939
235939
245939
255939
265939
275939
285939
295940
306040
316040

How January really feels in Laurel

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.

Laurel weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 39°4.59.610.24.5
Feb63° / 42°4.59.610.85.5
Mar70° / 49°4.710.111.86.5
Apr77° / 55°4.18.212.87.2
May84° / 64°4.110.113.65.7
Jun89° / 71°4.012.6143.8
Jul91° / 73°4.715.813.93.2
Aug91° / 72°4.013.613.23.3
Sep87° / 67°3.29.412.24.8
Oct78° / 56°3.3711.27.4
Nov68° / 46°3.48.110.46.7
Dec60° / 41°4.69.6105.0

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 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34357
44456
54555
64456
74456
84456
94555
104555
114555
124654
134654
144654
154753
164852
174852
184852
194852
204951
214852
224852
234852
244852
254852
264852
274852
284852
294753
304753
314654

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Laurel gets around 4.5 in of rain and snow over 9.6 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
532
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1631
1731
1831
1931
2031
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2731
2831
2931
3031
3131

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 84% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
183881
283881
382981
482981
582981
6811081
7811081
8811081
9821071
10821071
11821071
12831061
13831061
14831061
15831061
1685951
1785951
1885951
1985951
2087841
2187841
2287841
2388741
2488741
2588741
2688741
2788741
2887751
2988651
3088651
3187751

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 hours 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 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:01 AM to 6:56 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.07:014:59
210.07:014:59
310.07:015:00
410.07:015:01
510.07:025:01
610.07:025:02
710.07:025:03
810.07:025:04
910.07:025:04
1010.17:025:05
1110.17:025:06
1210.17:025:07
1310.17:025:08
1410.17:025:08
1510.17:025:09
1610.17:025:10
1710.27:015:11
1810.27:015:12
1910.27:015:13
2010.27:015:14
2110.27:005:14
2210.37:005:15
2310.37:005:16
2410.37:005:17
2510.36:595:18
2610.36:595:19
2710.46:585:20
2810.46:585:21
2910.46:575:21
3010.46:575:22
3110.46:565:23

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.53 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.76 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Laurel?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Laurel for sightseeing.

What to pack for Laurel in January

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

In January, Laurel sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 39°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Laurel 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 Laurel peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar6High
Apr10Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Laurel 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 Laurel is worst in July — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1621 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar16Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Laurel?

Laurel sits at 31.7°N, 89.1°W, 269 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hattiesburg, 27 mi away.

Topography around Laurel

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Laurel has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft around an average of 262 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 643 ft.

The land around Laurel is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (89%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
141 ft
10 miles
299 ft
50 miles
643 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Hattiesburg 27 mi · Meridian 53 mi · Brandon 64 mi · Pearl 71 mi · Jackson 75 mi · Ridgeland 78 mi · Madison 78 mi · Clinton 83 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 Laurel (31.6941°, -89.1306°, elevation 269 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).