Lexington weather in January

In January, Lexington sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 50°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% 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 Lexington's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lexington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
12th warmest
Overnight low
33°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:36 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Lexington is city in and county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
415/km²
people per km²
Founded
1775

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 50°F through the month.

A typical January day in Lexington reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15134
25134
35134
45134
55134
65034
75034
85034
95033
105033
115033
125033
135033
145033
155033
164932
174932
184932
194932
204932
214932
224932
234932
244932
255032
265032
275032
285032
295032
305132
315132

How January really feels in Lexington

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.

Lexington 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
Jan50° / 33°3.69.51.29.82.3
Feb54° / 35°3.28.81.310.63.2
Mar62° / 42°4.1100.511.75.3
Apr71° / 50°3.59.2012.96.7
May78° / 59°3.210.7013.96.6
Jun85° / 67°3.712.1014.44.9
Jul89° / 71°3.613.8014.24.0
Aug87° / 70°3.511.6013.44.7
Sep81° / 63°3.99012.26.5
Oct71° / 51°3.17.3011.17.2
Nov60° / 41°3.37.60.110.15.4
Dec53° / 35°3.68.90.69.63.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% 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 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
35050
45050
54951
65050
75149
85149
95149
105149
115248
125248
135347
145347
155347
165446
175446
185545
195545
205545
215545
225545
235545
245545
255446
265347
275347
285347
295347
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Lexington gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 9.5 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1302
2303
3303
4303
5303
6303
7303
8303
9303
10304
11304
12314
13314
14314
15314
16314
17314
18314
19314
20314
21315
22315
23305
24305
25305
26304
27304
28294
29294
30294
31294

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19532
29532
39532
49532
59532
69532
79532
89532
99532
109532
119532
129622
139622
149622
159622
169622
179721
189721
199811
209811
219811
229811
239811
249811
259811
269910
279910
289910
299910
309820
319820

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
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 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 7:36 AM to 7:29 AM, and sunset from 5:12 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:365:12
29.67:365:13
39.67:365:14
49.67:365:15
59.67:365:15
69.77:375:16
79.77:375:17
89.77:375:18
99.77:375:19
109.77:375:20
119.77:365:20
129.77:365:21
139.87:365:22
149.87:365:23
159.87:365:24
169.87:365:25
179.87:355:26
189.97:355:27
199.97:355:28
209.97:355:29
219.97:345:30
229.97:345:31
2310.07:335:32
2410.07:335:33
2510.07:325:34
2610.07:325:35
2710.17:315:36
2810.17:315:37
2910.17:305:38
3010.27:305:39
3110.27:295:40

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.57 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.57 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.7Moderate
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 Lexington?

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

2.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lexington.

What to pack for Lexington in January

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

In January, Lexington sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Lexington 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 Lexington 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 Lexington 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 Lexington is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Dec 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lexington?

Lexington sits at 35.8°N, 80.3°W, 846 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Thomasville, 11 mi away.

Topography around Lexington

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lexington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 213 ft around an average of 758 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 696 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,300 ft.

The land around Lexington is covered by trees (65%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
213 ft
10 miles
696 ft
50 miles
2,300 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Thomasville 11 mi · Clemmons 16 mi · Salisbury 16 mi · High Point 17 mi · Winston-Salem 19 mi · Kernersville 23 mi · Asheboro 26 mi · Greensboro 31 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 Lexington (35.824°, -80.2534°, elevation 846 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).