Rio Rancho weather in January

In January, Rio Rancho sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 0.6 in of precipitation across 4.2 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 43°F in the first days to 47°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Rio Rancho's 6th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rio Rancho's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
11th warmest
Overnight low
25°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.6 in
4.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:20 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
37%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Rio Rancho is city in Sandoval and Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States.

Density
326/km²
people per km²
Founded
1961

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 43°F in the first days to 47°F by the end.

A typical January day in Rio Rancho reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 25°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 55°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 6°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14323
24323
34323
44423
54423
64424
74424
84424
94424
104424
114524
124524
134524
144524
154525
164625
174625
184625
194625
204625
214625
224625
234625
244725
254725
264726
274726
284726
294726
304826
314826

How January really feels in Rio Rancho

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.

Rio Rancho weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 25°0.64.22.49.91.3
Feb52° / 29°0.63.61.710.73.2
Mar60° / 35°0.63.60.811.75.9
Apr68° / 42°0.62.80.412.97.7
May78° / 51°0.73.2013.88.1
Jun88° / 61°0.42.3014.35.6
Jul89° / 66°1.26.6014.14.7
Aug86° / 64°1.16.2013.35.6
Sep80° / 57°1.14.4012.27.8
Oct69° / 45°1.14.10.211.17.8
Nov55° / 33°0.63.20.910.14.5
Dec45° / 25°0.83.82.39.71.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
36931
46931
57030
67030
77030
87030
97030
107030
117129
127129
137129
147129
157129
167129
177228
187228
197129
207228
217228
227228
237228
247228
257228
267129
277129
287129
297129
307129
317129

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Rio Rancho gets around 0.6 in of rain and snow over 4.2 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 13% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1148
2148
3148
4138
5138
6138
7138
8148
9148
10148
11148
12148
13148
14148
15148
16148
17148
18148
19148
20138
21138
22138
23138
24138
25138
26138
27138
28138
29137
30127
31127

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 5 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 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
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:20 AM to 7:13 AM, and sunset from 5:00 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:205:00
29.77:205:00
39.77:205:01
49.77:205:02
59.77:215:03
69.77:215:03
79.77:215:04
89.77:215:05
99.87:215:06
109.87:215:07
119.87:215:08
129.87:215:08
139.87:205:09
149.87:205:10
159.87:205:11
169.97:205:12
179.97:205:13
189.97:195:14
199.97:195:15
209.97:195:16
2110.07:185:17
2210.07:185:18
2310.07:185:19
2410.07:175:20
2510.17:175:21
2610.17:165:22
2710.17:165:23
2810.17:155:24
2910.27:155:25
3010.27:145:26
3110.27:135:27

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.05 kWh/m² to a high of 8.27 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Rio Rancho?

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

1.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rio Rancho.

What to pack for Rio Rancho in January

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

In January, Rio Rancho sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Rio Rancho 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 Rio Rancho peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — 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 highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 12Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Rio Rancho?

Rio Rancho sits at 35.2°N, 106.7°W, 5,282 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Enchanted Hills, 8.1 mi away.

Topography around Rio Rancho

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rio Rancho has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 469 ft around an average of 5,246 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,156 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,522 ft.

The land around Rio Rancho is covered by artificial surfaces (68%) and bare terrain (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (29%) and bare terrain (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (55%) and trees (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
469 ft
10 miles
3,156 ft
50 miles
6,522 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Enchanted Hills 8.1 mi · Albuquerque 11 mi · South Valley 16 mi · Los Lunas 30 mi · Santa Fe 52 mi · Gallup 119 mi · Farmington 135 mi · Durango 157 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 Rio Rancho (35.2334°, -106.6645°, elevation 5,282 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).