Salisbury weather in January

In January, Salisbury sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 46°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Salisbury's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Salisbury's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
12th warmest
Overnight low
31°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:24 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
58%
8th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Salisbury is city in southeastern Maryland, United States.

Density
916/km²
people per km²
Founded
1732

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 46°F through the month.

A typical January day in Salisbury reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 60°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°F cooler than December and about 2°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14733
24733
34733
44733
54733
64733
74733
84732
94632
104632
114632
124632
134631
144631
154631
164531
174531
184530
194530
204530
214530
224530
234530
244530
254530
264530
274530
284530
294530
304530
314530

How January really feels in Salisbury

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.

Salisbury 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
Jan46° / 31°3.39.52.19.61.2
Feb48° / 32°3.08.82.110.51.8
Mar55° / 39°4.110.71.211.73.6
Apr65° / 48°3.39.60.2136.0
May74° / 57°3.510.4014.16.7
Jun82° / 66°3.711.2014.65.9
Jul87° / 72°4.413014.44.6
Aug85° / 70°4.712013.55.1
Sep79° / 64°4.09.8012.36.7
Oct69° / 53°4.18.10116.8
Nov58° / 42°3.08.109.94.7
Dec50° / 35°3.59.119.42.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
44951
54852
64852
74852
84951
94951
104951
114951
124951
134951
144951
154951
165050
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
245050
255050
265050
275050
285050
294951
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Salisbury gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 9.5 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 31% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1294
2294
3294
4304
5304
6304
7315
8315
9315
10316
11316
12316
13317
14317
15317
16318
17318
18318
19318
20319
21319
22309
23309
24309
25299
26299
27298
28298
29288
30288
31287

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 (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 9 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:24 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 5:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:244:47
29.47:254:47
39.47:254:48
49.47:254:49
59.47:254:50
69.47:254:51
79.47:254:51
89.57:254:52
99.57:254:53
109.57:254:54
119.57:254:55
129.57:254:56
139.57:244:57
149.67:244:58
159.67:244:59
169.67:245:00
179.67:235:01
189.67:235:02
199.77:235:03
209.77:225:04
219.77:225:05
229.77:215:06
239.87:215:07
249.87:205:08
259.87:205:09
269.97:195:10
279.97:185:11
289.97:185:12
299.97:175:14
3010.07:165:15
3110.07:165:16

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.58 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.36 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Salisbury

In seasonPeak

None of Salisbury's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Salisbury sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Salisbury?

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

1.2
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 Salisbury.

What to pack for Salisbury in January

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

In January, Salisbury sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Salisbury in January

The nearest coast averages about 44°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 30 mi away) is warmest in August at about 76°F and coldest in February near 41°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 17 to Oct 9 — about 3.8 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan44Bracing
Feb41Bracing
Mar43Bracing
Apr49Bracing
May58Bracing
Jun68Refreshing
Jul75Refreshing
Aug76Warm
Sep73Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec50Bracing

UV index in Salisbury 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 Salisbury peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighModerateJul 10UV 8Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Salisbury?

Salisbury sits at 38.4°N, 75.6°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Easton, 39 mi away.

Topography around Salisbury

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Salisbury has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 36 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 ft.

The land around Salisbury is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (62%) within 10 miles, and water (47%) and trees (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
164 ft
50 miles
230 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Easton 39 mi · Cape May 55 mi · Dover 55 mi · Annapolis 65 mi · Parole 66 mi · Arnold 67 mi · Greater Upper Marlboro 70 mi · Lake Shore 70 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 Salisbury (38.3607°, -75.5994°, elevation 23 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).