Rocky Mount weather in January

In January, Rocky Mount sees average daytime highs of 52°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 9.4 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 52°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Rocky Mount's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rocky Mount's year-round climate.

Daytime high
52°
12th warmest
Overnight low
34°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:26 AM – 5:15 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Rocky Mount is city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plain region North Carolina, United States.

Density
490/km²
people per km²
Founded
1816

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 52°F through the month.

A typical January day in Rocky Mount reaches about 52°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15336
25336
35336
45336
55236
65235
75235
85235
95235
105235
115235
125235
135235
145134
155134
165134
175134
185134
195133
205133
215133
225133
235133
245133
255133
265133
275133
285133
295233
305233
315233

How January really feels in Rocky Mount

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.

Rocky Mount 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
Jan52° / 34°3.79.41.29.82.8
Feb55° / 36°3.18.91.310.63.5
Mar62° / 42°4.110.60.411.75.4
Apr71° / 51°3.49.2012.96.8
May78° / 60°3.711.2013.96.5
Jun85° / 68°4.012.4014.44.9
Jul88° / 72°4.915.4014.23.9
Aug86° / 71°4.812.8013.44.5
Sep81° / 65°5.010.6012.26.2
Oct72° / 53°3.57.4011.17.2
Nov62° / 43°3.47.50.110.15.8
Dec55° / 37°3.59.60.59.63.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
44951
55050
65050
75050
85050
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145248
155248
165248
175347
185347
195347
205446
215446
225446
235446
245446
255446
265347
275347
285248
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Rocky Mount gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 9.4 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1322
2312
3312
4312
5312
6312
7312
8312
9313
10313
11313
12313
13313
14314
15314
16314
17314
18314
19314
20315
21315
22315
23305
24305
25305
26305
27305
28294
29294
30294
31294

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
193421
293421
393421
492521
592521
692521
792521
894420
994420
1094420
1194420
1295410
1396310
1496310
1596310
1696310
1796310
1896310
1997210
2097210
2197210
2297210
2397210
2497210
2597210
2697210
2797210
2897210
2997210
3097210
3197210

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 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
157light breeze
167light breeze
177light breeze
187light breeze
197light breeze
207light breeze
217light breeze
227light breeze
237light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:26 AM to 7:19 AM, and sunset from 5:02 PM to 5:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:265:02
29.67:275:03
39.67:275:04
49.67:275:04
59.67:275:05
69.77:275:06
79.77:275:07
89.77:275:08
99.77:275:09
109.77:275:09
119.77:275:10
129.77:275:11
139.87:275:12
149.87:275:13
159.87:265:14
169.87:265:15
179.87:265:16
189.97:265:17
199.97:255:18
209.97:255:19
219.97:255:20
229.97:245:21
2310.07:245:22
2410.07:235:23
2510.07:235:24
2610.07:225:25
2710.17:225:26
2810.17:215:27
2910.17:215:28
3010.17:205:29
3110.27:195:30

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.55 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Rocky Mount?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rocky Mount.

What to pack for Rocky Mount in January

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

In January, Rocky Mount sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Rocky Mount in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rocky Mount peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Rocky Mount 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 Rocky Mount is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1417 µg/m³Nov 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rocky Mount?

Rocky Mount sits at 35.9°N, 77.8°W, 98 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Wilson, 17 mi away.

Topography around Rocky Mount

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rocky Mount has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 ft around an average of 118 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Rocky Mount is covered by trees (55%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (54%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and cropland (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
128 ft
10 miles
315 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Wilson 17 mi · Greenville 33 mi · Roanoke Rapids 37 mi · Goldsboro 40 mi · Wake Forest 40 mi · Clayton 42 mi · Henderson 43 mi · Kinston 48 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 Rocky Mount (35.9382°, -77.7905°, elevation 98 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).