McAlester weather in January

In January, McAlester sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 6.6 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-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 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is McAlester's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see McAlester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
12th warmest
Overnight low
33°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
6.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:36 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
53%
7th clearest
Wind
8 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

McAlester is city in Oklahoma, United States.

Density
439/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

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 McAlester 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 35°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15034
25034
35034
44933
54933
64933
74933
84933
94933
104933
115033
125033
135033
145033
155033
165033
175033
185033
195133
205133
215133
225133
235133
245133
255133
265234
275234
285234
295234
305234
315234

How January really feels in McAlester

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.

McAlester weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 33°2.46.619.92.6
Feb55° / 37°2.46.80.910.73.8
Mar64° / 45°4.0100.511.75.7
Apr72° / 53°4.79.7012.96.7
May79° / 62°5.311.8013.86.4
Jun87° / 71°3.58.8014.34.8
Jul92° / 74°2.57.3014.13.6
Aug92° / 73°2.27013.33.8
Sep84° / 66°3.37.4012.26.0
Oct74° / 55°3.67.8011.17.4
Nov62° / 44°3.17.10.310.25.7
Dec52° / 36°2.970.69.73.1

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 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35248
45248
55149
65149
75149
85149
95248
105248
115248
125248
135248
145347
155347
165347
175347
185347
195347
205347
215347
225347
235347
245347
255347
265248
275248
285248
295149
305149
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

McAlester gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 6.6 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 21% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1213
2213
3213
4223
5223
6223
7223
8223
9223
10223
11223
12213
13213
14213
15213
16213
17213
18213
19213
20213
21213
22213
23213
24213
25213
26213
27213
28213
29214
30214
31214

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 (%)
19541
29541
39541
49541
59541
69541
79541
89541
99730
109730
119730
129730
139730
149820
159820
169820
179820
189820
199820
209820
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299721
309811
319811

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:36 AM to 7:29 AM, and sunset from 5:17 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:365:17
29.77:365:18
39.77:365:18
49.77:365:19
59.77:365:20
69.77:365:21
79.87:365:21
89.87:365:22
99.87:365:23
109.87:365:24
119.87:365:25
129.87:365:26
139.87:365:26
149.97:365:27
159.97:365:28
169.97:365:29
179.97:355:30
189.97:355:31
1910.07:355:32
2010.07:355:33
2110.07:345:34
2210.07:345:35
2310.07:335:36
2410.17:335:37
2510.17:335:38
2610.17:325:39
2710.17:325:40
2810.27:315:41
2910.27:305:42
3010.27:305:43
3110.27:295:44

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.35 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit McAlester?

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

2.6
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 McAlester.

What to pack for McAlester in January

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

In January, McAlester sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in McAlester in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in McAlester peaks around June 23 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 — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr9Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in McAlester 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 McAlester is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (November, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodJul 1717 µg/m³Nov 185 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb9Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr10Good
May12Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov5Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is McAlester?

McAlester sits at 34.9°N, 95.8°W, 735 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ada, 53 mi away.

Topography around McAlester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around McAlester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft around an average of 719 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,713 ft.

The land around McAlester is covered by trees (38%), grassland (33%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (47%) and grassland (44%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
315 ft
10 miles
420 ft
50 miles
1,713 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ada 53 mi · Muskogee 61 mi · Bixby 70 mi · Shawnee 71 mi · Durant 73 mi · Jenks 76 mi · Sapulpa 76 mi · Broken Arrow 77 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 McAlester (34.9334°, -95.7697°, elevation 735 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).