Sterling Heights weather in January

In January, Sterling Heights sees average daytime highs of 31°F and overnight lows near 20°F, with 2.3 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sterling Heights's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sterling Heights's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
12th warmest
Overnight low
20°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.3 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:05 AM – 5:17 PM
Cloud cover
77%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sterling Heights is city in Macomb County, Michigan, United States.

Density
1,386/km²
people per km²
Founded
1968

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 31°F through the month.

A typical January day in Sterling Heights reaches about 31°F in the afternoon and slips back to 20°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°F and 45°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 2°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13322
23322
33322
43322
53322
63221
73221
83221
93221
103220
113220
123120
133120
143119
153119
163119
173119
183119
193118
203018
213018
223018
233118
243118
253118
263118
273118
283118
293119
303119
313119

How January really feels in Sterling Heights

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Sterling Heights 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
Jan31° / 20°2.39.55.69.20.0
Feb34° / 21°2.07.95.610.30.0
Mar44° / 28°2.39.83.811.60.8
Apr56° / 40°3.411.81.213.13.6
May68° / 51°3.512.3014.45.8
Jun78° / 61°3.411.1015.16.5
Jul82° / 65°2.910.9014.86.3
Aug80° / 64°2.89.6013.76.7
Sep73° / 56°2.68.3012.37.0
Oct60° / 45°2.79.20.110.84.8
Nov47° / 35°2.58.91.79.61.4
Dec36° / 26°2.294.58.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42080
51981
61981
71981
81981
92080
102080
112080
122179
132179
142278
152278
162278
172278
182278
192278
202377
212278
222278
232377
242377
252377
262377
272476
282476
292476
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sterling Heights gets around 2.3 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 34% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13116
23116
33217
43217
53317
63318
73418
83418
93419
103419
113419
123319
133319
143219
153219
163118
173118
183018
193018
202918
212918
222818
232818
242718
252718
262719
272719
282719
292719
302619
312620

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light 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 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:08 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 5:03 PM to 5:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:085:03
28.98:085:04
38.98:085:05
49.08:085:05
59.08:085:06
69.08:085:07
79.08:085:08
89.08:085:09
99.08:075:10
109.18:075:11
119.18:075:12
129.18:075:13
139.18:065:14
149.28:065:15
159.28:065:16
169.28:055:17
179.28:055:19
189.38:045:20
199.38:045:21
209.38:035:22
219.38:035:23
229.48:025:24
239.48:025:26
249.48:015:27
259.58:005:28
269.58:005:29
279.57:595:30
289.67:585:32
299.67:575:33
309.67:565:34
319.77:555:36

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.39 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.79 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
232.0Dim
242.0Moderate
252.0Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Sterling Heights?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sterling Heights.

What to pack for Sterling Heights in January

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

In January, Sterling Heights sees daytime highs around 31°F and nights near 20°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 Sterling Heights in January

The nearest coast averages about 34°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 9 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 33°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 2 to Sep 15 — about 2.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan34Bracing
Feb33Bracing
Mar34Bracing
Apr41Bracing
May52Bracing
Jun64Cool
Jul72Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct57Bracing
Nov47Bracing
Dec39Bracing

UV index in Sterling Heights 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 Sterling Heights peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Sterling Heights 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 Sterling Heights is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1415 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sterling Heights?

Sterling Heights sits at 42.6°N, 83.0°W, 614 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clinton Township, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Sterling Heights

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sterling Heights has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft around an average of 623 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 400 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 ft.

The land around Sterling Heights is covered by artificial surfaces (55%), grassland (23%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (33%) and cropland (31%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
95 ft
10 miles
400 ft
50 miles
915 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Clinton Township 5.6 mi · Shelby 6.2 mi · Warren 6.2 mi · Troy 6.2 mi · Roseville 7.5 mi · Madison Heights 7.5 mi · Mount Clemens 8.1 mi · Rochester Hills 8.1 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 Sterling Heights (42.5803°, -83.0302°, elevation 614 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. 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. 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).