Oxford weather in January

In January, Oxford sees average daytime highs of 52°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 4.8 in of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 52°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Oxford's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Oxford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
52°
12th warmest
Overnight low
35°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.8 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:09 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
58%
9th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Oxford is city and county seat of Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States.

Density
524/km²
people per km²
Founded
1837

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 52°F through the month.

A typical January day in Oxford reaches about 52°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15236
25236
35136
45136
55136
65136
75136
85136
95135
105135
115135
125135
135135
145135
155135
165135
175135
185135
195235
205235
215235
225235
235235
245235
255335
265335
275335
285335
295336
305336
315336

How January really feels in Oxford

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.

Oxford weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 35°4.810.20.6102.8
Feb56° / 38°4.810.10.710.73.8
Mar65° / 45°5.111.30.211.75.7
Apr73° / 54°4.810012.86.8
May81° / 63°4.810.5013.86.3
Jun88° / 71°3.711.4014.34.4
Jul90° / 73°3.912014.13.7
Aug90° / 72°3.210.2013.34.0
Sep85° / 65°3.36.9012.25.8
Oct74° / 54°3.87.5011.17.4
Nov63° / 44°4.18.8010.25.7
Dec54° / 38°5.210.10.29.73.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 55%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54357
64357
74357
84258
94357
104357
114357
124357
134258
144258
154258
164357
174357
184456
194456
204555
214753
224753
234852
244852
255050
265050
275149
285149
295149
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Oxford gets around 4.8 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1331
2332
3342
4342
5342
6342
7342
8342
9342
10342
11342
12352
13352
14352
15352
16352
17342
18342
19342
20342
21332
22332
23332
24332
25322
26322
27322
28322
29312
30312
31312

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19163
29163
39163
49163
59073
69073
79073
89172
99262
109262
119262
129352
139352
149352
159352
169451
179451
189451
199541
209541
219541
229541
239541
249541
259541
269541
279541
289442
299352
309352
319352

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 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 7:09 AM to 7:03 AM, and sunset from 4:53 PM to 5:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:094:53
29.77:094:54
39.87:094:55
49.87:104:56
59.87:104:56
69.87:104:57
79.87:104:58
89.87:104:59
99.87:104:59
109.87:105:00
119.97:105:01
129.97:105:02
139.97:105:03
149.97:105:04
159.97:095:05
169.97:095:06
1710.07:095:06
1810.07:095:07
1910.07:085:08
2010.07:085:09
2110.07:085:10
2210.17:085:11
2310.17:075:12
2410.17:075:13
2510.17:065:14
2610.27:065:15
2710.27:055:16
2810.27:055:17
2910.27:045:18
3010.37:045:19
3110.37:035:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.54 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Oxford?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Oxford.

What to pack for Oxford in January

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

In January, Oxford sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Oxford in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Oxford peaks around June 21 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Oxford 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 Oxford is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1519 µg/m³Dec 226 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Oxford?

Oxford sits at 34.4°N, 89.5°W, 505 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hernando, 42 mi away.

Topography around Oxford

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Oxford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 249 ft around an average of 482 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 410 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 646 ft.

The land around Oxford is covered by trees (58%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (83%) within 10 miles, and trees (72%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
249 ft
10 miles
410 ft
50 miles
646 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Hernando 42 mi · Olive Branch 45 mi · Tupelo 47 mi · Collierville 47 mi · Horn Lake 50 mi · Southaven 52 mi · Germantown 52 mi · Cordova 57 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 Oxford (34.3665°, -89.5192°, elevation 505 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).