Morgantown weather in January

In January, Morgantown sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 3.9 in of precipitation across 13.1 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 38°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Morgantown's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Morgantown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
12th warmest
Overnight low
24°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.9 in
13.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:44 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
76%
12th clearest
Wind
8 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Morgantown is city in and county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States.

Density
1,117/km²
people per km²
Founded
1772

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 38°F through the month.

A typical January day in Morgantown reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 24°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°F and 55°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14027
24027
34027
44026
54026
64026
73926
83926
93926
103925
113925
123925
133825
143824
153824
163824
173824
183823
193723
203723
213723
223723
233723
243722
253722
263823
273823
283823
293823
303823
313823

How January really feels in Morgantown

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
8 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Morgantown weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 24°3.913.179.50.0
Feb42° / 26°3.611.66.210.40.3
Mar51° / 33°4.613.8411.72.2
Apr63° / 44°4.614.50.9134.7
May70° / 52°5.215.5014.25.7
Jun78° / 61°5.314.6014.76.0
Jul81° / 64°5.115.1014.55.7
Aug80° / 63°3.912.1013.66.2
Sep74° / 56°4.010.3012.36.8
Oct63° / 45°3.6110.310.95.4
Nov52° / 36°3.610.51.79.82.6
Dec42° / 29°3.912.45.29.30.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32575
42476
52476
62476
72476
82476
92278
102278
112278
122278
132278
142278
152278
162278
172278
182179
192278
202278
212377
222476
232476
242575
252575
262575
272674
282773
292872
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Morgantown gets around 3.9 in of rain and snow over 13.1 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 42% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14018
24019
34119
44219
54219
64319
74319
84420
94420
104420
114421
124421
134321
144322
154322
164322
174323
184323
194224
204225
214225
224226
234226
244227
254227
264227
274227
284227
294227
304226
314126

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 8 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
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
287light breeze
297light breeze
307light breeze
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:46 AM to 7:36 AM, and sunset from 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:465:00
29.37:465:01
39.37:465:02
49.37:465:03
59.37:465:03
69.37:465:04
79.37:465:05
89.37:465:06
99.37:465:07
109.47:465:08
119.47:465:09
129.47:465:10
139.47:455:11
149.47:455:12
159.57:455:13
169.57:445:14
179.57:445:15
189.57:445:16
199.67:435:17
209.67:435:18
219.67:425:19
229.67:425:20
239.77:415:21
249.77:415:22
259.77:405:23
269.87:405:25
279.87:395:26
289.87:385:27
299.87:385:28
309.97:375:29
319.97:365:30

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.57 kWh/m² to a high of 5.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.86 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
212.0Dim
222.0Dim
232.0Moderate
242.0Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Morgantown?

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

0.0
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 Morgantown.

What to pack for Morgantown in January

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

In January, Morgantown sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Morgantown 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 Morgantown peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Morgantown 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 Morgantown is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1217 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Morgantown?

Morgantown sits at 39.6°N, 80.0°W, 889 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fairmont, 14 mi away.

Topography around Morgantown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Morgantown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 551 ft around an average of 1,030 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,631 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,570 ft.

The land around Morgantown is covered by trees (56%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (77%) within 10 miles, and trees (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
551 ft
10 miles
1,631 ft
50 miles
3,570 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Fairmont 14 mi · Clarksburg 32 mi · Bethel Park 48 mi · Baldwin 49 mi · Upper Saint Clair 49 mi · McKeesport 50 mi · Mount Lebanon 50 mi · Wheeling 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 Morgantown (39.6295°, -79.9559°, elevation 889 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).