Suffolk weather in January

In January, Suffolk sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 50°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 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Suffolk's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Suffolk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
12th warmest
Overnight low
33°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:23 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
55%
4th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Suffolk is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
79/km²
people per km²
Founded
1742

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 50°F through the month.

A typical January day in Suffolk reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15235
25135
35135
45135
55135
65135
75135
85135
95135
105134
115134
125034
135034
145034
155033
165033
174933
184933
194933
204933
214932
224932
234932
244932
254932
264932
274932
285032
295032
305033
315033

How January really feels in Suffolk

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.

Suffolk weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 33°3.49.31.39.82.4
Feb53° / 35°3.18.81.210.63.0
Mar60° / 41°3.910.60.511.74.8
Apr69° / 50°3.49.5012.96.5
May77° / 59°3.810.8013.96.7
Jun84° / 67°4.111.7014.55.3
Jul88° / 72°5.014.9014.34.0
Aug86° / 70°4.713.1013.44.7
Sep80° / 65°4.810.9012.26.3
Oct71° / 54°3.77.7011.17.1
Nov61° / 43°3.48.40.1105.5
Dec54° / 37°3.59.50.69.53.3

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
45050
54951
64951
75050
85149
95149
105149
115149
125149
135248
145248
155248
165248
175149
185248
195248
205248
215149
225149
235248
245149
255149
265149
275050
285050
294951
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Suffolk gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1303
2303
3303
4303
5303
6303
7303
8303
9303
10304
11304
12314
13314
14314
15314
16314
17314
18315
19315
20315
21315
22305
23305
24305
25295
26295
27295
28295
29294
30294
31294

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 (%)
19352
29352
39352
49352
59442
69442
79442
89442
99442
109442
119442
129631
139631
149631
159631
169631
179721
189721
199721
209721
219820
229820
239820
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319820

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 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 7:24 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:244:55
29.57:244:56
39.57:244:57
49.67:244:58
59.67:244:58
69.67:244:59
79.67:245:00
89.67:245:01
99.67:245:02
109.67:245:02
119.77:245:03
129.77:245:04
139.77:245:05
149.77:245:06
159.77:245:07
169.77:235:08
179.87:235:09
189.87:235:10
199.87:225:11
209.87:225:12
219.97:225:13
229.97:215:14
239.97:215:15
249.97:205:16
2510.07:205:17
2610.07:195:18
2710.07:195:19
2810.07:185:20
2910.17:175:21
3010.17:175:22
3110.17:165:23

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Suffolk

In seasonPeak

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

Suffolk 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 Suffolk?

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

2.4
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 Suffolk.

What to pack for Suffolk in January

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

In January, Suffolk sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Suffolk 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 37 mi away) is warmest in August at about 79°F and coldest in February near 41°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 14 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan44Bracing
Feb41Bracing
Mar45Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul78Warm
Aug79Warm
Sep76Warm
Oct68Cool
Nov57Bracing
Dec49Bracing

UV index in Suffolk 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 Suffolk peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Suffolk 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 Suffolk is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Suffolk?

Suffolk sits at 36.7°N, 76.6°W, 49 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is South Suffolk, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Suffolk

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Suffolk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 43 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 341 ft.

The land around Suffolk is covered by trees (55%) within 2 miles, trees (70%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) and water (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
167 ft
50 miles
341 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: South Suffolk 0.6 mi · Portsmouth Heights 14 mi · Portsmouth 17 mi · Chesapeake 18 mi · Norfolk 19 mi · Newport News 19 mi · Hampton 25 mi · East Hampton 25 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 Suffolk (36.7284°, -76.585°, elevation 49 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. 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).