North Platte weather in January

In January, North Platte sees average daytime highs of 39°F and overnight lows near 17°F, with 0.5 in of precipitation across 3.1 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 37°F in the first days to 40°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is North Platte's 8th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see North Platte's year-round climate.

Daytime high
39°
12th warmest
Overnight low
17°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.5 in
3.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
8:12 AM – 5:33 PM
Cloud cover
48%
8th clearest
Wind
9 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

North Platte is city in Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States.

Density
698/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in North Platte reaches about 39°F in the afternoon and slips back to 17°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°F and 55°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13716
23716
33716
43716
53716
63716
73716
83716
93716
103816
113817
123817
133817
143817
153917
163917
173917
183918
193918
204018
214018
224018
234018
244018
254018
264018
274019
284019
294019
304019
314019

How January really feels in North Platte

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.

North Platte weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 17°0.53.12.89.40.0
Feb42° / 20°0.74.13.510.40.3
Mar52° / 28°1.46.13.211.73.0
Apr60° / 36°3.18.92.413.15.0
May70° / 47°3.811.20.214.36.4
Jun81° / 58°3.510.8014.96.2
Jul87° / 64°2.69.9014.75.1
Aug84° / 61°2.89.1013.65.9
Sep77° / 52°1.85.80.112.37.7
Oct63° / 38°1.86.11.110.96.3
Nov50° / 27°0.94.32.59.72.6
Dec40° / 19°0.73.22.99.10.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36040
46040
56139
66139
76139
86139
96139
106139
116238
126238
136238
146238
156238
166337
176337
186337
196337
206436
216337
226337
236337
246337
256337
266139
276139
286139
296139
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

North Platte gets around 0.5 in of rain and snow over 3.1 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 10% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11110
21110
31110
4119
5119
6109
7109
8109
9109
10108
1198
1298
1398
1498
1598
1698
1798
1899
1999
20109
21109
22109
231010
241010
251010
261110
271111
281111
291111
301211
311212

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 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 06 min 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 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:14 AM to 8:03 AM, and sunset from 5:19 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.18:145:19
29.18:145:20
39.18:145:20
49.18:145:21
59.18:145:22
69.18:145:23
79.28:145:24
89.28:145:25
99.28:145:26
109.28:145:27
119.28:135:28
129.38:135:29
139.38:135:30
149.38:135:31
159.38:125:32
169.38:125:33
179.48:125:34
189.48:115:35
199.48:115:36
209.48:105:37
219.58:105:38
229.58:095:39
239.58:095:41
249.68:085:42
259.68:075:43
269.68:075:44
279.78:065:45
289.78:055:46
299.78:045:48
309.88:045:49
319.88:035:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.19 kWh/m² to a high of 6.97 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.52 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for North Platte

In seasonPeak

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

North Platte's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit North Platte?

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 North Platte.

What to pack for North Platte in January

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

In January, North Platte sees daytime highs around 39°F and nights near 17°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in North Platte 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 North Platte peaks around July 13 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 highHighModerateLowJul 13UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is North Platte?

North Platte sits at 41.1°N, 100.8°W, 2,802 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kearney, 93 mi away.

Topography around North Platte

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around North Platte has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 ft around an average of 2,805 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 453 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,391 ft.

The land around North Platte is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and grassland (29%) within 2 miles, grassland (66%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and grassland (71%) and cropland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
69 ft
10 miles
453 ft
50 miles
1,391 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kearney 93 mi · Grand Island 127 mi · Hastings 130 mi · Hays 173 mi · Columbus 178 mi · Norfolk 184 mi · Cheyenne 211 mi · Evans 212 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 North Platte (41.1239°, -100.7654°, elevation 2,802 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).