Prescott weather in January

In January, Prescott sees average daytime highs of 53°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 1.6 in of precipitation across 5.2 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 53°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% 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 Prescott's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Prescott's year-round climate.

Daytime high
53°
11th warmest
Overnight low
31°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
1.6 in
5.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:41 AM – 5:37 PM
Cloud cover
42%
9th clearest
Wind
4 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Prescott is City in and county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States.

Density
358/km²
people per km²
Founded
1881

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 53°F through the month.

A typical January day in Prescott reaches about 53°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 63°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15131
25131
35131
45131
55131
65231
75231
85231
95231
105231
115231
125231
135331
145331
155331
165331
175331
185331
195331
205332
215332
225332
235332
245332
255332
265332
275332
285432
295432
305432
315432

How January really feels in Prescott

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.

Prescott weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan53° / 31°1.65.21.89.93.4
Feb55° / 34°2.062.210.74.0
Mar61° / 38°1.65.41.611.75.9
Apr68° / 43°0.73.40.612.87.7
May77° / 52°0.53.2013.88.4
Jun87° / 60°0.21.7014.36.1
Jul89° / 66°2.511.2014.14.2
Aug87° / 65°2.512.5013.34.6
Sep82° / 60°1.56.1012.27.1
Oct73° / 49°1.13.80.111.18.3
Nov61° / 38°1.13.30.610.26.2
Dec52° / 31°1.55.12.29.73.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36337
46337
56337
66436
76436
86535
96535
106535
116634
126634
136733
146733
156733
166733
176931
186931
196931
206832
216832
226832
236931
246931
256931
266832
276832
286832
296832
306733
316634

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Prescott gets around 1.6 in of rain and snow over 5.2 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 16% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1187
2186
3186
4186
5186
6186
7186
8186
9186
10176
11176
12176
13166
14166
15166
16166
17166
18156
19156
20156
21156
22156
23156
24156
25156
26155
27155
28155
29155
30165
31165

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 4 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 7:41 AM to 7:35 AM, and sunset from 5:25 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:415:25
29.77:425:25
39.77:425:26
49.87:425:27
59.87:425:28
69.87:425:28
79.87:425:29
89.87:425:30
99.87:425:31
109.87:425:32
119.87:425:32
129.97:425:33
139.97:425:34
149.97:425:35
159.97:425:36
169.97:415:37
179.97:415:38
1810.07:415:39
1910.07:415:40
2010.07:405:41
2110.07:405:42
2210.07:405:42
2310.17:395:43
2410.17:395:44
2510.17:385:45
2610.17:385:46
2710.27:375:47
2810.27:375:48
2910.27:365:49
3010.27:365:50
3110.37:355:51

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.06 kWh/m² to a high of 8.51 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.33 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Prescott?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Prescott.

What to pack for Prescott in January

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

In January, Prescott sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Prescott in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Prescott peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Prescott?

Prescott sits at 34.5°N, 112.5°W, 5,374 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Prescott Valley, 9.9 mi away.

Topography around Prescott

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Prescott has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 922 ft around an average of 5,531 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,504 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,736 ft.

The land around Prescott is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (30%) within 2 miles, trees (53%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (46%), grassland (30%) and trees (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
922 ft
10 miles
3,504 ft
50 miles
7,736 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Prescott Valley 9.9 mi · Sedona 46 mi · Anthem 50 mi · Sun City West 61 mi · Deer Valley 62 mi · Surprise 63 mi · El Mirage 65 mi · Flagstaff 65 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 Prescott (34.54°, -112.4685°, elevation 5,374 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).