Morganton weather in January

In January, Morganton sees average daytime highs of 49°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 4.3 in of precipitation across 9.9 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 49°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 Morganton's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Morganton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
49°
12th warmest
Overnight low
31°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.3 in
9.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:41 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
54%
4th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.0
out of 10

Morganton is city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
336/km²
people per km²
Founded
1777

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 49°F through the month.

A typical January day in Morganton reaches about 49°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 62°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)
14932
24932
34932
44932
54932
64932
74932
84932
94932
104931
114931
124931
134831
144831
154831
164831
174831
184830
194830
204830
214830
224830
234830
244830
254930
264930
274930
284930
294930
304930
315031

How January really feels in Morganton

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.

Morganton 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
Jan49° / 31°4.39.91.79.92.0
Feb52° / 33°3.58.91.810.62.9
Mar60° / 39°4.610.80.711.74.9
Apr69° / 47°4.29.4012.96.5
May76° / 56°3.510.2013.96.8
Jun82° / 64°3.411.8014.45.7
Jul86° / 67°3.412.9014.24.8
Aug84° / 66°3.511.4013.45.3
Sep79° / 60°4.09.1012.26.9
Oct69° / 49°3.77.7011.17.0
Nov59° / 39°3.78.20.110.14.9
Dec51° / 33°4.19.10.99.62.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
44951
54951
64852
74852
84951
94951
104852
114951
124951
134951
144951
155050
165050
175050
185149
195248
205347
215446
225446
235446
245446
255545
265545
275545
285446
295446
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Morganton gets around 4.3 in of rain and snow over 9.9 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 (%)
1303
2304
3304
4304
5314
6314
7325
8325
9335
10335
11335
12345
13346
14346
15346
16346
17346
18346
19336
20336
21326
22326
23326
24326
25316
26316
27316
28316
29316
30306
31306

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 (%)
19721
29721
39820
49820
59820
69820
79820
89820
99820
109820
119820
129820
139820
149820
159910
169910
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 5:18 PM to 5:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:415:18
29.67:425:19
39.67:425:20
49.67:425:21
59.77:425:21
69.77:425:22
79.77:425:23
89.77:425:24
99.77:425:25
109.77:425:25
119.77:425:26
129.87:425:27
139.87:425:28
149.87:425:29
159.87:415:30
169.87:415:31
179.87:415:32
189.97:415:33
199.97:405:34
209.97:405:35
219.97:405:36
2210.07:395:37
2310.07:395:38
2410.07:385:39
2510.07:385:40
2610.17:375:41
2710.17:375:42
2810.17:365:43
2910.17:365:44
3010.27:355:45
3110.27:345:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.1 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.58 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Morganton?

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

2.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Morganton.

What to pack for Morganton in January

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

In January, Morganton sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Morganton 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 Morganton peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Morganton 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 Morganton 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 Morganton?

Morganton sits at 35.7°N, 81.7°W, 1,155 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lenoir, 14 mi away.

Topography around Morganton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Morganton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 1,122 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,034 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,145 ft.

The land around Morganton is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (83%) within 10 miles, and trees (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
272 ft
10 miles
2,034 ft
50 miles
6,145 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Lenoir 14 mi · Hickory 19 mi · Shelby 32 mi · Boone 32 mi · Gastonia 43 mi · Statesville 45 mi · Cornelius 50 mi · Asheville 50 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 Morganton (35.7454°, -81.6848°, elevation 1,155 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).