Sanford weather in January

In January, Sanford sees average daytime highs of 52°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 9 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-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 Sanford's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sanford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
52°
12th warmest
Overnight low
34°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:31 AM – 5:21 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Sanford is human settlement in Lee County, North Carolina, United States of America.

Density
418/km²
people per km²

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 Sanford reaches about 52°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15336
25336
35336
45336
55335
65335
75335
85335
95235
105235
115235
125235
135235
145234
155234
165234
175134
185134
195133
205133
215133
225133
235133
245133
255133
265233
275233
285233
295234
305234
315334

How January really feels in Sanford

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.

Sanford weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan52° / 34°3.691.19.92.9
Feb55° / 36°3.191.110.73.7
Mar63° / 43°4.010.40.411.75.6
Apr72° / 52°3.48.7012.96.9
May79° / 60°3.410.1013.86.6
Jun86° / 68°4.212.2014.34.7
Jul89° / 72°4.314.7014.23.7
Aug87° / 70°4.512.9013.34.4
Sep81° / 64°4.810.1012.26.2
Oct72° / 53°3.17.2011.17.3
Nov62° / 42°3.27.80.110.15.8
Dec55° / 37°3.58.90.59.63.6

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
34951
44951
54951
65050
75050
85149
95149
105248
115248
125248
135347
145347
155347
165347
175347
185347
195446
205446
215446
225446
235446
245446
255248
265248
275248
285248
295248
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sanford gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 9 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 29% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1293
2293
3293
4293
5292
6292
7292
8292
9293
10293
11293
12293
13293
14293
15293
16293
17304
18294
19294
20294
21294
22294
23294
24294
25294
26294
27284
28284
29284
30283
31293

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 96% 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
493421
593430
693430
793430
894420
995320
1095320
1195320
1295320
1395320
1496220
1596220
1696220
1796220
1897210
1997210
2098110
2198110
2298110
2398110
2498110
2598110
2698110
2798110
2898110
2998110
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 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 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 7:31 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 5:09 PM to 5:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:315:09
29.67:315:10
39.77:315:11
49.77:315:11
59.77:315:12
69.77:315:13
79.77:315:14
89.77:315:14
99.77:315:15
109.77:315:16
119.87:315:17
129.87:315:18
139.87:315:19
149.87:315:20
159.87:315:21
169.87:315:21
179.97:305:22
189.97:305:23
199.97:305:24
209.97:295:25
2110.07:295:26
2210.07:295:27
2310.07:285:28
2410.07:285:29
2510.07:275:30
2610.17:275:31
2710.17:265:32
2810.17:265:33
2910.17:255:34
3010.27:255:35
3110.27:245:36

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Sanford?

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

2.9
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 Sanford.

What to pack for Sanford in January

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

In January, Sanford 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 Sanford 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 Sanford peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Sanford 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 Sanford is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1918 µg/m³Dec 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sanford?

Sanford sits at 35.5°N, 79.2°W, 358 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fuquay-Varina, 22 mi away.

Topography around Sanford

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sanford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 ft around an average of 384 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 466 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,227 ft.

The land around Sanford is covered by trees (73%) within 2 miles, trees (78%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
253 ft
10 miles
466 ft
50 miles
1,227 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Fuquay-Varina 22 mi · Holly Springs 23 mi · Apex 25 mi · Fort Bragg 25 mi · Pinehurst 25 mi · Carrboro 30 mi · Chapel Hill 30 mi · Morrisville 31 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 Sanford (35.4799°, -79.1803°, elevation 358 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).