Owensboro weather in January

In January, Owensboro sees average daytime highs of 43°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation across 9.8 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 43°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Owensboro's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Owensboro's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
12th warmest
Overnight low
28°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.8 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:08 AM – 4:47 PM
Cloud cover
66%
10th clearest
Wind
8 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Owensboro is county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
1,052/km²
people per km²
Founded
1797

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 43°F through the month.

A typical January day in Owensboro reaches about 43°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 59°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)
14429
24429
34429
44329
54329
64329
74329
84328
94328
104328
114328
124328
134228
144227
154227
164227
174227
184227
194227
204227
214227
224227
234227
244227
254327
264327
274327
284327
294328
304428
314428

How January really feels in Owensboro

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.

Owensboro weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 28°3.89.82.39.70.5
Feb47° / 31°3.69.42.510.51.5
Mar57° / 39°4.711.6111.74.0
Apr68° / 49°5.111.6012.96.0
May77° / 59°4.712.30146.4
Jun84° / 68°3.811.1014.65.3
Jul87° / 71°3.510.3014.34.7
Aug86° / 69°3.08.1013.55.2
Sep80° / 61°3.57.9012.36.8
Oct69° / 49°3.78.10116.8
Nov56° / 39°3.890.6104.0
Dec46° / 32°4.410.61.99.41.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53565
63565
73565
83565
93565
103565
113466
123367
133367
143367
153466
163466
173664
183664
193664
203763
213763
223763
233862
243961
253961
264060
274060
284060
294060
303961
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Owensboro gets around 3.8 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 34% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1337
2337
3337
4337
5337
6347
7347
8347
9348
10348
11348
12348
13348
14349
15349
16339
17339
18329
19328
20318
21318
22308
23308
24298
25298
26298
27298
28298
29298
30298
31299

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 (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6973
7973
8973
9973
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January.

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
288light breeze
298light breeze
307light breeze
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:09 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 4:34 PM to 5:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:094:34
29.47:094:35
39.47:094:36
49.57:094:37
59.57:094:37
69.57:094:38
79.57:094:39
89.57:094:40
99.57:094:41
109.57:094:42
119.67:094:43
129.67:094:44
139.67:094:44
149.67:094:45
159.67:084:46
169.77:084:47
179.77:084:48
189.77:074:49
199.77:074:50
209.77:074:51
219.87:064:52
229.87:064:53
239.87:054:55
249.87:054:56
259.97:044:57
269.97:044:58
279.97:034:59
2810.07:035:00
2910.07:025:01
3010.07:015:02
3110.07:005:03

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.85 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
72.0Dim
82.0Dim
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Owensboro

In seasonPeak

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

Owensboro 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 Owensboro?

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

0.5
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 Owensboro.

What to pack for Owensboro in January

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

In January, Owensboro sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 28°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 Owensboro 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 Owensboro peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Owensboro 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 Owensboro is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1519 µg/m³Nov 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Owensboro?

Owensboro sits at 37.8°N, 87.1°W, 394 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Henderson, 26 mi away.

Topography around Owensboro

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Owensboro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 ft around an average of 394 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 617 ft.

The land around Owensboro is covered by artificial surfaces (32%) and trees (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (50%) and cropland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
157 ft
10 miles
269 ft
50 miles
617 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Henderson 26 mi · Evansville 28 mi · Madisonville 37 mi · Jasper 43 mi · Radcliff 64 mi · Bowling Green 65 mi · Hopkinsville 66 mi · Vincennes 66 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 Owensboro (37.7742°, -87.1133°, elevation 394 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). 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).