Louisville weather in January

In January, Louisville sees average daytime highs of 41°F and overnight lows near 27°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 9.7 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 41°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Louisville's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Louisville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
41°
12th warmest
Overnight low
27°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
9.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
8:04 AM – 5:41 PM
Cloud cover
68%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Louisville is county seat of Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
3,637/km²
people per km²
Founded
1778

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 41°F through the month.

A typical January day in Louisville reaches about 41°F in the afternoon and slips back to 27°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°F and 57°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14329
24229
34229
44229
54228
64228
74228
84228
94228
104228
114127
124127
134127
144127
154127
164126
174126
184126
194126
204126
214126
224126
234126
244126
254126
264126
274126
284226
294226
304227
314227

How January really feels in Louisville

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.

Louisville weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 27°3.69.72.69.60.1
Feb46° / 29°3.39.22.610.51.1
Mar55° / 38°4.511.41.311.73.5
Apr67° / 48°5.0120.1135.7
May75° / 58°5.012.80146.3
Jun83° / 66°4.011.8014.65.5
Jul87° / 69°4.011.9014.44.7
Aug85° / 67°2.89.1013.55.3
Sep80° / 60°3.07.7012.36.9
Oct68° / 48°3.38.10116.6
Nov55° / 38°3.59.30.69.93.6
Dec45° / 31°4.010.12.29.41.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33466
43466
53466
63367
73268
83268
93268
103268
113268
123268
133268
143268
153367
163367
173466
183466
193565
203664
213664
223763
233763
243763
253961
263961
273961
283961
293862
303862
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Louisville gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 9.7 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 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1328
2338
3338
4338
5338
6338
7348
8348
9348
10348
11338
12339
13339
14339
15339
16339
17329
18329
19329
20319
21309
22309
23309
24299
25299
26299
27299
28299
292910
302910
312910

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 (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6973
7973
8973
9973
10973
11982
12982
13982
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:05 AM to 7:56 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.48:055:28
29.48:055:28
39.48:055:29
49.48:055:30
59.48:055:31
69.48:055:32
79.58:055:32
89.58:055:33
99.58:055:34
109.58:055:35
119.58:055:36
129.58:055:37
139.68:055:38
149.68:045:39
159.68:045:40
169.68:045:41
179.68:045:42
189.78:035:43
199.78:035:44
209.78:035:45
219.78:025:46
229.88:025:47
239.88:015:48
249.88:015:49
259.88:005:50
269.97:595:51
279.97:595:52
289.97:585:53
299.97:585:54
3010.07:575:56
3110.07:565:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.78 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.11 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
112.0Dim
122.0Dim
132.0Moderate
142.0Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Louisville

In seasonPeak

None of Louisville's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Louisville sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Louisville?

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

0.1
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 Louisville.

What to pack for Louisville in January

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

In January, Louisville sees daytime highs around 41°F and nights near 27°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Louisville 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 Louisville peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Louisville 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 Louisville is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Dec 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Louisville?

Louisville sits at 38.3°N, 85.8°W, 466 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Jeffersonville, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Louisville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Louisville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 ft around an average of 449 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 709 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 873 ft.

The land around Louisville is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (57%) and grassland (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
154 ft
10 miles
709 ft
50 miles
873 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Jeffersonville 1.9 mi · Clarksville 3.1 mi · New Albany 4.3 mi · Shively 5.0 mi · Saint Matthews 5.6 mi · Newburg 8.7 mi · Okolona 8.7 mi · Pleasure Ridge Park 9.3 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 Louisville (38.2542°, -85.7594°, elevation 466 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).