Middletown weather in January

In January, Middletown sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 4.4 in of precipitation across 10.6 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 37°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Middletown's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Middletown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
11th warmest
Overnight low
28°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.4 in
10.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:15 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
58%
6th clearest
Wind
14 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Middletown is town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States.

Founded
1743

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 37°F by the end.

A typical January day in Middletown reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 48°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and on par with February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14031
24031
34031
44030
54030
64030
73930
83930
93929
103929
113929
123829
133829
143828
153828
163828
173828
183728
193728
203727
213727
223727
233727
243727
253727
263727
273727
283727
293727
303727
313727

How January really feels in Middletown

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.

Middletown weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 28°4.410.64.59.30.0
Feb38° / 29°3.89.63.910.30.0
Mar42° / 34°5.110.93.611.70.3
Apr49° / 42°4.611.40.613.12.0
May57° / 51°3.910.9014.34.0
Jun66° / 60°3.79.3014.96.1
Jul73° / 67°3.08.9014.77.0
Aug73° / 68°3.68.8013.77.1
Sep68° / 62°4.18.8012.36.6
Oct60° / 53°5.1100.110.95.0
Nov51° / 43°4.59.70.49.72.7
Dec44° / 35°5.211.52.990.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44852
54951
64852
74852
84852
94753
104753
114753
124753
134753
144753
154852
164852
174852
184753
194753
204753
214753
224753
234852
244852
254852
264951
274951
284951
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Middletown gets around 4.4 in of rain and snow over 10.6 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13612
23612
33613
43613
53614
63614
73614
83614
93615
103615
113615
123615
133616
143616
153616
163616
173616
183516
193516
203415
213415
223315
233315
243215
253214
263114
273114
283114
293113
303113
313113

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 14 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 mph on the calmest days to 14 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
114breezy
214breezy
314breezy
414breezy
514breezy
614breezy
714breezy
814breezy
914breezy
1014breezy
1114breezy
1214breezy
1314breezy
1414breezy
1514breezy
1614breezy
1714breezy
1814breezy
1914breezy
2014breezy
2114breezy
2214breezy
2314breezy
2414breezy
2514breezy
2614breezy
2714breezy
2814breezy
2914breezy
3014breezy
3114breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:17 AM to 7:06 AM, and sunset from 4:20 PM to 4:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:174:20
29.17:174:20
39.17:174:21
49.17:174:22
59.17:174:23
69.17:174:24
79.17:174:25
89.17:174:25
99.27:174:26
109.27:174:27
119.27:174:28
129.27:174:29
139.27:164:30
149.37:164:31
159.37:164:33
169.37:154:34
179.37:154:35
189.47:144:36
199.47:144:37
209.47:144:38
219.47:134:39
229.57:124:40
239.57:124:42
249.57:114:43
259.67:114:44
269.67:104:45
279.67:094:46
289.77:084:47
299.77:084:49
309.77:074:50
319.87:064:51

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Moderate
192.0Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Middletown

In seasonPeak

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

Middletown 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 Middletown?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Middletown.

What to pack for Middletown in January

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

In January, Middletown sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Middletown in January

The nearest coast averages about 43°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 12 mi away) is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 39°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 26 to Aug 30 — about 1.2 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar40Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May51Bracing
Jun60Cool
Jul67Cool
Aug69Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct61Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Middletown 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 Middletown peaks around June 23 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Middletown?

Middletown sits at 41.5°N, 71.3°W, 180 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Newport, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around Middletown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Middletown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 ft around an average of 105 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 358 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,204 ft.

The land around Middletown is covered by trees (31%), water (29%) and grassland (27%) within 2 miles, water (53%) and trees (31%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
299 ft
10 miles
358 ft
50 miles
1,204 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Newport 3.7 mi · Portsmouth 4.3 mi · North Kingstown 9.3 mi · Bristol 9.3 mi · Narragansett 11 mi · Warwick 12 mi · Fall River 13 mi · Barrington 14 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 Middletown (41.5457°, -71.2914°, elevation 180 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).