Newport News weather in January

In January, Newport News sees average daytime highs of 49°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-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 37% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Newport News's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newport News's year-round climate.

Daytime high
49°
12th warmest
Overnight low
34°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:23 AM – 5:07 PM
Cloud cover
56%
4th clearest
Wind
9 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
out of 10

Newport News is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
601/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

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 Newport News reaches about 49°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 64°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)
15036
25035
35035
45035
55035
65035
75035
85035
95035
104935
114934
124934
134934
144934
154934
164833
174833
184833
194833
204833
214833
224832
234832
244832
254832
264832
274832
284833
294933
304933
314933

How January really feels in Newport News

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.

Newport News 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
Jan49° / 34°3.49.31.69.82.1
Feb51° / 35°3.18.51.310.62.7
Mar59° / 41°4.0100.511.74.5
Apr68° / 51°3.29.7012.96.4
May76° / 60°3.710.50146.7
Jun83° / 68°3.811.7014.55.4
Jul87° / 73°4.614.6014.34.2
Aug85° / 71°4.412013.45.0
Sep80° / 66°4.510.2012.36.5
Oct70° / 55°3.87.60117.0
Nov60° / 44°3.48.30105.2
Dec53° / 38°3.59.10.69.53.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34852
44951
54951
64951
75050
84951
94951
105050
115050
125149
135149
145149
155149
165149
175149
185149
195149
205149
215248
225248
235149
245149
255149
265149
275050
285050
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Newport News gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1293
2293
3293
4293
5293
6303
7304
8304
9304
10304
11314
12315
13315
14315
15315
16315
17315
18316
19316
20316
21306
22306
23306
24296
25296
26296
27286
28285
29285
30285
31285

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19442
29442
39442
49442
59442
69541
79541
89541
99541
109541
119631
129631
139631
149631
159631
169721
179820
189820
199820
209820
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319820

Wind in January

Winds average 9 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 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 7:24 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 4:54 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:244:54
29.57:244:55
39.57:244:55
49.57:244:56
59.57:244:57
69.67:244:58
79.67:244:59
89.67:244:59
99.67:245:00
109.67:245:01
119.67:245:02
129.67:245:03
139.77:245:04
149.77:245:05
159.77:245:06
169.77:235:07
179.77:235:08
189.87:235:09
199.87:225:10
209.87:225:11
219.87:225:12
229.97:215:13
239.97:215:14
249.97:205:15
259.97:205:16
2610.07:195:17
2710.07:195:18
2810.07:185:19
2910.07:175:20
3010.17:175:21
3110.17:165:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.44 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Newport News

In seasonPeak

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

Newport News 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 Newport News?

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

2.1
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 Newport News.

What to pack for Newport News in January

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

In January, Newport News sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Newport News in January

The nearest coast averages about 44°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 19 mi away) is warmest in August at about 79°F and coldest in February near 41°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 14 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan44Bracing
Feb41Bracing
Mar45Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul78Warm
Aug79Warm
Sep76Warm
Oct68Cool
Nov57Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Newport News 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 Newport News peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 12UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Newport News 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 Newport News is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Newport News?

Newport News sits at 37.0°N, 76.4°W, 20 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hampton, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Newport News

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Newport News has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 10 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 341 ft.

The land around Newport News is covered by water (49%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 2 miles, water (43%) and trees (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (46%) and water (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
197 ft
50 miles
341 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Hampton 5.6 mi · East Hampton 6.8 mi · Portsmouth Heights 12 mi · Norfolk 12 mi · Portsmouth 12 mi · Chesapeake 14 mi · Suffolk 19 mi · South Suffolk 21 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 Newport News (36.9804°, -76.4297°, elevation 20 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. 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).