Parkersburg weather in January

In January, Parkersburg sees average daytime highs of 40°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 11.4 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 40°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Parkersburg's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Parkersburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
40°
12th warmest
Overnight low
26°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
11.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:50 AM – 5:21 PM
Cloud cover
74%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Parkersburg is city in and county seat of Wood County, West Virginia.

Density
969/km²
people per km²
Founded
1810

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 40°F through the month.

A typical January day in Parkersburg reaches about 40°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°F and 56°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)
14228
24228
34228
44228
54228
64128
74128
84127
94127
104127
114027
124026
134026
144026
154026
164026
173925
183925
193925
203925
213925
223925
233924
243924
253925
263925
274025
284025
294025
304025
314025

How January really feels in Parkersburg

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.

Parkersburg weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan40° / 26°3.711.44.59.60.0
Feb43° / 28°3.610.74.410.50.6
Mar53° / 35°4.612.82.111.72.8
Apr65° / 46°4.413.20.3135.3
May73° / 55°4.913.9014.16.1
Jun81° / 63°4.713.2014.75.8
Jul84° / 67°4.413.4014.55.1
Aug83° / 65°3.610.9013.55.7
Sep77° / 58°3.78.9012.37.0
Oct66° / 47°3.49.60.1116.1
Nov54° / 37°3.49.50.89.83.2
Dec44° / 31°3.710.82.89.30.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23070
32971
42971
52872
62872
72872
82773
92674
102674
112575
122575
132575
142575
152575
162575
172575
182575
192674
202773
212773
222773
232872
242872
252872
262971
272971
282971
292971
302971
313070

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Parkersburg gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 11.4 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 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13511
23612
33712
43712
53813
63813
73913
83913
93913
103914
113914
123914
133914
143915
153815
163815
173815
183815
193715
203715
213716
223616
233616
243616
253616
263616
273616
283516
293516
303516
313516

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

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 18 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:51 AM to 7:42 AM, and sunset from 5:08 PM to 5:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:515:08
29.37:515:09
39.37:515:09
49.37:515:10
59.37:515:11
69.37:515:12
79.47:515:13
89.47:515:14
99.47:515:14
109.47:515:15
119.47:515:16
129.47:515:17
139.57:515:18
149.57:505:19
159.57:505:20
169.57:505:21
179.57:505:22
189.67:495:23
199.67:495:24
209.67:485:25
219.67:485:26
229.77:475:28
239.77:475:29
249.77:465:30
259.87:465:31
269.87:455:32
279.87:445:33
289.87:445:34
299.97:435:35
309.97:425:36
319.97:425:38

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.65 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.94 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Dim
202.0Moderate
212.0Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Parkersburg

In seasonPeak

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

Parkersburg 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 Parkersburg?

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 Parkersburg.

What to pack for Parkersburg in January

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

In January, Parkersburg sees daytime highs around 40°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Parkersburg 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 Parkersburg peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 19UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Parkersburg 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 Parkersburg is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Parkersburg?

Parkersburg sits at 39.3°N, 81.6°W, 614 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Athens, 29 mi away.

Topography around Parkersburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Parkersburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 ft around an average of 653 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 531 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 991 ft.

The land around Parkersburg is covered by trees (39%), artificial surfaces (30%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (73%) within 10 miles, and trees (87%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
348 ft
10 miles
531 ft
50 miles
991 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Athens 29 mi · Zanesville 52 mi · Lancaster 63 mi · Charleston 63 mi · Clarksburg 65 mi · Newark 71 mi · Wheeling 71 mi · Huntington 75 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 Parkersburg (39.2667°, -81.5615°, elevation 614 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).