Lenoir weather in January

In January, Lenoir sees average daytime highs of 47°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 4.4 in of precipitation across 9.8 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 47°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lenoir's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lenoir's year-round climate.

Daytime high
47°
12th warmest
Overnight low
30°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.4 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:41 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
55%
4th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.6
out of 10

Lenoir is city in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
334/km²
people per km²
Founded
1841

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 47°F through the month.

A typical January day in Lenoir reaches about 47°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 34°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14832
24832
34831
44831
54831
64831
74731
84731
94731
104731
114731
124731
134730
144730
154730
164730
174730
184730
194730
204729
214729
224729
234729
244729
254729
264729
274729
284829
294830
304830
314830

How January really feels in Lenoir

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.

Lenoir 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 30°4.49.829.81.6
Feb51° / 33°3.69.12.110.62.5
Mar59° / 39°4.710.91.111.74.5
Apr68° / 47°4.39.80.112.96.3
May74° / 55°3.611.1013.96.6
Jun81° / 63°3.512.4014.45.9
Jul85° / 67°3.313.2014.25.0
Aug83° / 66°3.412013.45.6
Sep78° / 59°4.29.6012.26.9
Oct68° / 48°3.77.4011.16.8
Nov58° / 38°3.98.20.110.14.6
Dec50° / 33°4.29.21.19.62.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
34852
44951
54951
64951
74951
84951
94951
104951
114951
124951
134951
144951
154951
165050
175050
185149
195248
205347
215446
225446
235545
245545
255545
265545
275644
285545
295545
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Lenoir gets around 4.4 in of rain and snow over 9.8 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 34% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1294
2294
3294
4304
5305
6315
7315
8325
9325
10326
11336
12336
13336
14347
15347
16347
17347
18347
19337
20337
21337
22327
23328
24328
25328
26328
27328
28318
29318
30318
31308

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19811
29820
39820
49820
59820
69820
79820
89820
99820
109820
119820
129820
139820
149820
159820
169820
179910
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
239910
249910
259910
269910
279910
289910
299910
309910
319910

Wind in January

Winds average 5 mph in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:41 AM to 7:34 AM, and sunset from 5:17 PM to 5:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:415:17
29.67:415:18
39.67:425:19
49.67:425:20
59.67:425:20
69.77:425:21
79.77:425:22
89.77:425:23
99.77:425:24
109.77:425:24
119.77:425:25
129.77:425:26
139.87:425:27
149.87:415:28
159.87:415:29
169.87:415:30
179.87:415:31
189.97:415:32
199.97:405:33
209.97:405:34
219.97:405:35
229.97:395:36
2310.07:395:37
2410.07:385:38
2510.07:385:39
2610.07:375:40
2710.17:375:41
2810.17:365:42
2910.17:365:43
3010.17:355:44
3110.27:345:45

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.56 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Lenoir?

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

1.6
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 Lenoir.

What to pack for Lenoir in January

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

In January, Lenoir sees daytime highs around 47°F and nights near 30°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Lenoir in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lenoir peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Lenoir 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 Lenoir is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1617 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lenoir?

Lenoir sits at 35.9°N, 81.5°W, 1,171 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Morganton, 14 mi away.

Topography around Lenoir

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lenoir has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 423 ft around an average of 1,198 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,791 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,112 ft.

The land around Lenoir is covered by trees (69%) within 2 miles, trees (84%) within 10 miles, and trees (82%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
423 ft
10 miles
1,791 ft
50 miles
6,112 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Morganton 14 mi · Hickory 17 mi · Boone 22 mi · Statesville 38 mi · Shelby 43 mi · Mooresville 47 mi · Cornelius 48 mi · Gastonia 49 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 Lenoir (35.914°, -81.539°, elevation 1,171 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).