Pocatello weather in January

In January, Pocatello sees average daytime highs of 30°F and overnight lows near 17°F, with 2.0 in of precipitation across 10.9 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 29°F in the first days to 32°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Pocatello's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pocatello's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
12th warmest
Overnight low
17°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
2.0 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:04 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
67%
11th clearest
Wind
6 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Pocatello is city in Bannock and Power counties in Idaho, United States, that is the county seat of Bannock County.

Density
649/km²
people per km²
Founded
1889

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 29°F in the first days to 32°F by the end.

A typical January day in Pocatello reaches about 30°F in the afternoon and slips back to 17°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°F and 39°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
12916
22916
32916
42916
52916
62916
72917
83017
93017
103017
113017
123017
133017
143017
153017
163017
173018
183118
193118
203118
213118
223118
233118
243118
253118
263118
273118
283218
293218
303218
313219

How January really feels in Pocatello

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.

Pocatello 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
Jan30° / 17°2.010.911.19.20.0
Feb35° / 21°1.69.38.510.20.0
Mar45° / 28°1.910.66.911.61.1
Apr55° / 34°2.111.43.413.13.3
May65° / 42°2.310.20.814.45.8
Jun75° / 49°1.26.30.215.17.5
Jul86° / 58°0.64.2014.86.2
Aug84° / 56°0.84.4013.86.6
Sep74° / 48°1.250.112.37.9
Oct59° / 37°1.46.61.610.85.0
Nov43° / 26°1.68.25.89.50.8
Dec31° / 17°2.010.510.98.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23367
33367
43268
53268
63268
73367
83367
93367
103466
113466
123565
133565
143664
153664
163763
173763
183763
193763
203664
213763
223763
233763
243763
253763
263565
273565
283664
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Pocatello gets around 2.0 in of rain and snow over 10.9 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13435
23435
33536
43536
53536
63636
73637
83637
93737
103737
113738
123838
133838
143838
153838
163838
173737
183737
193637
203636
213636
223536
233435
243435
253334
263233
273232
283131
293130
303030
313029

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 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 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 8:06 AM to 7:54 AM, and sunset from 5:00 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:065:00
28.98:065:00
38.98:065:01
48.98:065:02
58.98:065:03
69.08:065:04
79.08:065:05
89.08:065:06
99.08:065:07
109.08:065:08
119.18:065:09
129.18:055:10
139.18:055:11
149.18:055:12
159.18:045:13
169.28:045:14
179.28:045:15
189.28:035:16
199.38:035:18
209.38:025:19
219.38:015:20
229.38:015:21
239.48:005:22
249.47:595:24
259.47:595:25
269.57:585:26
279.57:575:27
289.57:565:29
299.67:565:30
309.67:555:31
319.67:545:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.86 kWh/m² to a high of 7.91 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.17 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
42.0Dim
52.0Dim
62.0Dim
72.0Dim
82.0Moderate
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
222.3Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Pocatello?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pocatello.

What to pack for Pocatello in January

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

In January, Pocatello sees daytime highs around 30°F and nights near 17°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 Pocatello 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 Pocatello peaks around July 10 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Pocatello 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 Pocatello is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1721 µg/m³Dec 178 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr11Good
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Pocatello?

Pocatello sits at 42.9°N, 112.4°W, 4,462 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Idaho Falls, 46 mi away.

Topography around Pocatello

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Pocatello has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 ft around an average of 4,596 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,923 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,033 ft.

The land around Pocatello is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and grassland (31%) within 2 miles, grassland (51%) within 10 miles, and grassland (62%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
833 ft
10 miles
2,923 ft
50 miles
5,033 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Idaho Falls 46 mi · Conda 47 mi · Rexburg 74 mi · Logan 85 mi · Brigham City 96 mi · Twin Falls 104 mi · North Ogden 111 mi · Ogden 116 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 Pocatello (42.8713°, -112.4455°, elevation 4,462 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).