Shelby weather in January

In January, Shelby sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 9.6 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 51°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 Shelby's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shelby's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
12th warmest
Overnight low
33°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:40 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
54%
4th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Shelby is city in and the county seat of Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
369/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 51°F through the month.

A typical January day in Shelby reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°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 64°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15134
25134
35134
45134
55134
65134
75134
85134
95134
105134
115133
125133
135133
145033
155033
165033
175033
185033
195032
205032
215032
225032
235032
245032
255132
265132
275132
285132
295133
305133
315233

How January really feels in Shelby

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.

Shelby weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 33°4.09.61.39.92.5
Feb55° / 36°3.58.91.110.73.4
Mar62° / 42°4.510.10.411.75.4
Apr71° / 51°3.89012.96.8
May78° / 59°3.010013.86.7
Jun85° / 67°3.713014.34.8
Jul89° / 71°3.814.4014.13.9
Aug86° / 69°3.812.7013.34.6
Sep81° / 63°3.69.2012.26.4
Oct71° / 51°3.36.9011.17.3
Nov61° / 41°3.67.7010.15.4
Dec53° / 35°4.090.69.73.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
44951
54951
65050
75050
85050
95050
105050
115050
125149
135149
145248
155248
165248
175347
185347
195446
205446
215446
225545
235545
245446
255446
265446
275446
285446
295347
305347
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Shelby gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 9.6 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 33% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1313
2313
3313
4313
5313
6313
7324
8324
9324
10324
11324
12324
13324
14335
15335
16325
17325
18325
19325
20325
21315
22314
23314
24304
25304
26304
27304
28294
29294
30294
31284

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29631
39631
49631
59631
69631
79631
89631
99631
109631
119631
129631
139721
149721
159721
169721
179721
189721
199721
209721
219811
229811
239910
249910
259910
269910
279910
289910
299910
309910
319820

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 7:40 AM to 7:33 AM, and sunset from 5:19 PM to 5:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:405:19
29.77:405:20
39.77:405:20
49.77:405:21
59.77:405:22
69.77:405:23
79.77:405:24
89.77:405:24
99.77:405:25
109.87:405:26
119.87:405:27
129.87:405:28
139.87:405:29
149.87:405:30
159.87:405:30
169.97:405:31
179.97:395:32
189.97:395:33
199.97:395:34
209.97:385:35
2110.07:385:36
2210.07:385:37
2310.07:375:38
2410.07:375:39
2510.17:365:40
2610.17:365:41
2710.17:355:42
2810.17:355:43
2910.27:345:44
3010.27:345:45
3110.27:335:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.29 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.6 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
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Shelby?

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

2.5
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 Shelby.

What to pack for Shelby in January

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

In January, Shelby sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Shelby 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 Shelby peaks around July 12 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 12UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Shelby 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 Shelby is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Dec 239 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shelby?

Shelby sits at 35.3°N, 81.5°W, 860 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Gastonia, 20 mi away.

Topography around Shelby

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Shelby has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 853 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,705 ft.

The land around Shelby is covered by trees (69%) within 2 miles, trees (60%) and grassland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
518 ft
50 miles
4,705 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Gastonia 20 mi · Hickory 32 mi · Morganton 32 mi · Spartanburg 32 mi · Rock Hill 39 mi · Charlotte 39 mi · Huntersville 40 mi · Cornelius 40 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 Shelby (35.2923°, -81.5357°, elevation 860 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).