New Castle weather in January

In January, New Castle sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 21°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 9.8 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 35°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 New Castle's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see New Castle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
12th warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
8:07 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
73%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

New Castle is city in Indiana, United States.

Density
930/km²
people per km²
Founded
1822

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 35°F through the month.

A typical January day in New Castle reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 21°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°F and 52°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)
13723
23623
33623
43623
53623
63622
73622
83522
93522
103522
113522
123521
133521
143521
153421
163420
173420
183420
193420
203420
213420
223420
233420
243420
253420
263420
273520
283520
293520
303520
313520

How January really feels in New Castle

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

New Castle 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
Jan35° / 21°3.29.85.39.50.0
Feb38° / 24°2.68.84.610.40.0
Mar49° / 32°3.810.92.711.72.0
Apr62° / 43°4.712.50.7134.8
May71° / 53°4.613.6014.26.0
Jun79° / 63°4.212.2014.86.2
Jul82° / 66°3.411.4014.56.1
Aug81° / 64°3.09.8013.66.6
Sep76° / 56°2.97.9012.37.2
Oct63° / 45°3.28.80.210.95.7
Nov50° / 35°3.48.71.19.82.3
Dec39° / 26°3.210.33.99.20.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22872
32773
42773
52773
62773
72674
82674
92674
102674
112674
122674
132674
142872
152773
162773
172773
182773
192872
202872
212872
222872
232872
242872
252971
262971
272971
282872
292971
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

New Castle gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 9.8 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 33% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13115
23115
33215
43215
53216
63316
73316
83317
93317
103317
113318
123318
133318
143318
153318
163318
173318
183318
193318
203218
213218
223118
233118
243117
253017
263017
273017
283017
292917
302917
312917

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 10 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light 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 8:08 AM to 7:58 AM, and sunset from 5:21 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.28:085:21
29.28:085:22
39.28:095:23
49.28:095:23
59.38:095:24
69.38:095:25
79.38:095:26
89.38:095:27
99.38:095:28
109.38:085:29
119.48:085:30
129.48:085:31
139.48:085:32
149.48:085:33
159.48:075:34
169.58:075:35
179.58:075:36
189.58:065:37
199.58:065:38
209.68:055:39
219.68:055:40
229.68:045:41
239.68:045:42
249.78:035:43
259.78:035:44
269.78:025:46
279.88:015:47
289.88:015:48
299.88:005:49
309.97:595:50
319.97:585:51

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.27 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.02 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit New Castle?

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
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in New Castle.

What to pack for New Castle in January

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

In January, New Castle sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 21°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 New Castle 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 New Castle peaks around June 20 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in New Castle 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 New Castle is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is New Castle?

New Castle sits at 39.9°N, 85.4°W, 1,063 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Muncie, 18 mi away.

Topography around New Castle

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around New Castle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 1,050 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 338 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 860 ft.

The land around New Castle is covered by trees (38%), cropland (22%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (68%) within 10 miles, and cropland (69%) and trees (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
338 ft
50 miles
860 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Muncie 18 mi · Anderson 21 mi · Greenfield 24 mi · Richmond 26 mi · Fishers 34 mi · Noblesville 35 mi · Lawrence 35 mi · Shelbyville 35 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 New Castle (39.9289°, -85.3702°, elevation 1,063 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).