South Kingstown weather in January

In January, South Kingstown sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 27°F, with 3.9 in of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 38°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is South Kingstown's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see South Kingstown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
12th warmest
Overnight low
27°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.9 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:16 AM – 4:35 PM
Cloud cover
57%
5th clearest
Wind
11 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

South Kingstown is town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States.

Founded
1722

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 38°F through the month.

A typical January day in South Kingstown reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 27°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°F and 49°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and on par with February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14029
24029
33929
43929
53928
63928
73928
83828
93828
103828
113827
123827
133827
143727
153726
163726
173726
183726
193726
203726
213726
223725
233725
243725
253725
263725
273725
283725
293725
303726
313726

How January really feels in South Kingstown

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.

South Kingstown 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
Jan38° / 27°3.910.24.89.30.0
Feb38° / 27°3.494.110.30.0
Mar44° / 33°4.510.73.811.70.7
Apr53° / 42°4.0110.613.12.9
May62° / 51°3.410.9014.35.1
Jun71° / 61°3.59.5014.96.6
Jul77° / 67°2.99.5014.76.9
Aug76° / 67°3.69013.77.1
Sep71° / 61°3.88.8012.36.8
Oct61° / 51°4.59.60.110.95.2
Nov51° / 41°3.99.10.49.72.7
Dec43° / 33°4.710.82.99.10.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44852
54951
64951
74852
84852
94852
104753
114753
124852
134852
144852
154852
164852
174753
184753
194852
204951
214951
224951
234951
244951
254951
264951
275050
285050
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

South Kingstown gets around 3.9 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13513
23513
33514
43514
53515
63515
73515
83515
93516
103516
113516
123416
133416
143416
153416
163416
173316
183316
193316
203216
213216
223216
233115
243115
253115
263115
273014
283014
293014
303014
313014

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 11 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:18 AM to 7:07 AM, and sunset from 4:21 PM to 4:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:184:21
29.17:184:22
39.17:184:22
49.17:184:23
59.17:184:24
69.17:184:25
79.17:184:26
89.17:184:27
99.27:184:28
109.27:184:29
119.27:174:30
129.27:174:31
139.27:174:32
149.37:174:33
159.37:164:34
169.37:164:35
179.37:164:36
189.47:154:37
199.47:154:38
209.47:144:39
219.47:144:40
229.57:134:42
239.57:124:43
249.57:124:44
259.67:114:45
269.67:104:46
279.67:104:47
289.77:094:49
299.77:084:50
309.77:074:51
319.87:074:52

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.67 kWh/m² to a high of 6.14 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for South Kingstown

In seasonPeak

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

South Kingstown 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 South Kingstown?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in South Kingstown.

What to pack for South Kingstown in January

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

In January, South Kingstown sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 27°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near South Kingstown in January

The nearest coast averages about 43°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 39°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 29 to Aug 30 — about 1.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan43Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar40Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May51Bracing
Jun60Cool
Jul67Cool
Aug69Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct62Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

UV index in South Kingstown 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 South Kingstown peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is South Kingstown?

South Kingstown sits at 41.4°N, 71.5°W, 197 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Narragansett, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around South Kingstown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around South Kingstown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 135 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 574 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,447 ft.

The land around South Kingstown is covered by trees (81%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and water (38%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (45%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
574 ft
50 miles
1,447 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Narragansett 3.7 mi · North Kingstown 7.5 mi · Newport 11 mi · Middletown 14 mi · Westerly 16 mi · West Warwick 17 mi · Portsmouth 18 mi · Warwick 19 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 South Kingstown (41.4472°, -71.5249°, elevation 197 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).