The Dalles weather in January

In January, The Dalles sees average daytime highs of 39°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 4.6 in of precipitation across 14.6 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 37°F in the first days to 41°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 36 min at the start of January to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is The Dalles's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see The Dalles's year-round climate.

Daytime high
39°
11th warmest
Overnight low
29°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
4.6 in
14.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:48 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
76%
11th clearest
Wind
4 mph
12th windiest
Solar energy
1.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

The Dalles is city in and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States.

Density
854/km²
people per km²
Founded
1857

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 37°F in the first days to 41°F by the end.

A typical January day in The Dalles reaches about 39°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°F and 48°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13728
23728
33728
43828
53828
63828
73828
83828
93828
103828
113828
123828
133928
143928
153929
163929
173929
184029
194029
204029
214029
224029
234029
244129
254129
264129
274129
284130
294130
304230
314230

How January really feels in The Dalles

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.

The Dalles weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 29°4.614.66.78.90.0
Feb44° / 30°3.612.85.210.10.6
Mar51° / 34°3.413.63.111.62.2
Apr57° / 39°2.311.40.413.33.9
May66° / 45°1.67.9014.76.3
Jun73° / 50°0.95.1015.47.7
Jul82° / 55°0.31.7015.17.7
Aug83° / 55°0.31.9013.97.6
Sep74° / 50°0.83.2012.38.2
Oct60° / 42°2.38.40.210.75.2
Nov46° / 34°4.113.52.49.31.2
Dec38° / 28°5.315.37.78.60.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22080
32080
42179
52179
61981
71981
81981
91981
102179
112179
122179
132278
142377
152377
162476
172575
182674
192674
202674
212674
222674
232674
242674
252674
262674
272674
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

The Dalles gets around 4.6 in of rain and snow over 14.6 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 47% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14926
24925
34925
44925
54924
64924
74924
84923
94923
104923
114923
124923
134823
144823
154823
164823
174823
184722
194722
204722
214621
224621
234620
244620
254520
264519
274519
284418
294418
304418
314418

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 4 mph in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 36 min at the start of January to 9 h 24 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 7:51 AM to 7:36 AM, and sunset from 4:25 PM to 5:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.67:514:25
28.67:514:25
38.67:514:26
48.67:514:27
58.67:514:28
68.67:514:29
78.77:514:30
88.77:514:31
98.77:504:32
108.77:504:33
118.77:504:34
128.87:504:35
138.87:494:37
148.87:494:38
158.87:484:39
168.97:484:40
178.97:474:41
188.97:474:43
199.07:464:44
209.07:454:45
219.07:454:46
229.17:444:48
239.17:434:49
249.17:434:50
259.27:424:52
269.27:414:53
279.27:404:54
289.37:394:56
299.37:384:57
309.47:374:59
319.47:365:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.24 kWh/m² to a high of 7.69 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for The Dalles

In seasonPeak

In January, The Dalles sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

The Dalles's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit The Dalles?

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 The Dalles.

What to pack for The Dalles in January

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

In January, The Dalles sees daytime highs around 39°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in The Dalles 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 The Dalles peaks around July 16 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 16UV 8Dec 13UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in The Dalles 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 The Dalles is worst in August — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 8.8× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2041 µg/m³Dec 245 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul8Good
Aug43Poor
Sep29Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is The Dalles?

The Dalles sits at 45.6°N, 121.2°W, 253 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Washougal, 57 mi away.

Topography around The Dalles

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around The Dalles has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,047 ft around an average of 397 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,140 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12,215 ft.

The land around The Dalles is covered by trees (38%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (58%) and trees (24%) within 10 miles, and trees (50%) and grassland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,047 ft
10 miles
3,140 ft
50 miles
12,215 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Washougal 57 mi · Troutdale 58 mi · Camas 59 mi · Gresham 61 mi · Happy Valley 66 mi · Battle Ground 66 mi · Orchards 67 mi · Lents 68 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 The Dalles (45.5946°, -121.1787°, elevation 253 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).