Reading weather in January

In January, Reading sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 38°F through the month. 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 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Reading's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Reading's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
12th warmest
Overnight low
25°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:30 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover
65%
12th clearest
Wind
7 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Reading is city in and county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Density
3,347/km²
people per km²
Founded
1748

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 38°F through the month.

A typical January day in Reading reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°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 52°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14027
24027
34027
44027
53926
63926
73926
83926
93926
103926
113925
123825
133825
143825
153824
163824
173824
183824
193724
203724
213723
223723
233723
243723
253723
263823
273823
283823
293823
303823
313823

How January really feels in Reading

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.

Reading weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 25°3.29.34.19.50.0
Feb41° / 26°2.98.93.910.40.2
Mar50° / 33°3.910.63.111.72.2
Apr62° / 43°3.810.80.4135.1
May72° / 53°3.611.4014.26.4
Jun81° / 62°3.811.1014.85.9
Jul86° / 67°3.710.7014.64.9
Aug84° / 66°3.39.8013.65.6
Sep77° / 58°4.39.1012.36.9
Oct64° / 47°3.78.70.110.95.9
Nov53° / 37°3.08.20.69.83.1
Dec43° / 30°3.792.49.20.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44060
54060
63961
73961
83961
93862
103862
113763
123763
133763
143763
153763
163763
173763
183763
193763
203763
213763
223763
233763
243763
253961
263961
273961
283961
294060
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Reading gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12810
22910
33011
43011
53112
63212
73213
83313
93313
103314
113314
123314
133314
143314
153214
163214
173114
183114
193014
203014
212914
222914
232814
242814
252814
262714
272714
282713
292713
302713
312814

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
21000
31000
41000
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
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.

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 12 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 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:32 AM to 7:21 AM, and sunset from 4:42 PM to 5:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:324:42
29.27:324:43
39.27:324:44
49.27:324:44
59.27:324:45
69.27:324:46
79.27:324:47
89.37:324:48
99.37:324:49
109.37:324:50
119.37:324:51
129.37:314:52
139.47:314:53
149.47:314:54
159.47:314:55
169.47:304:56
179.47:304:57
189.57:304:58
199.57:294:59
209.57:295:00
219.57:285:01
229.67:285:02
239.67:275:03
249.67:275:04
259.77:265:06
269.77:255:07
279.77:255:08
289.87:245:09
299.87:235:10
309.87:225:11
319.97:215:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
122.0Dim
132.0Dim
142.0Moderate
152.0Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Reading?

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 Reading.

What to pack for Reading in January

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

In January, Reading sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Reading 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 Reading peaks around June 21 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 8Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Reading 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 Reading is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1417 µg/m³Nov 148 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Reading?

Reading sits at 40.3°N, 75.9°W, 305 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Pottstown, 16 mi away.

Topography around Reading

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Reading has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 961 ft around an average of 374 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,175 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,333 ft.

The land around Reading is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (43%) within 2 miles, trees (59%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
961 ft
10 miles
1,175 ft
50 miles
2,333 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Pottstown 16 mi · Limerick 22 mi · Lebanon 25 mi · Phoenixville 26 mi · Lancaster 29 mi · Allentown 30 mi · West Chester 31 mi · Whitehall Township 32 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 Reading (40.3357°, -75.9269°, elevation 305 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).