Truckee weather in January

In January, Truckee sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 7.0 in of precipitation across 11.6 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 32% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Truckee's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Truckee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
11th warmest
Overnight low
24°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
7.0 in
11.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:25 AM – 4:55 PM
Cloud cover
61%
11th clearest
Wind
6 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Truckee is town in Nevada County, California, United States.

Density
187/km²
people per km²
Founded
1993

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 Truckee reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 24°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°F and 46°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°F cooler than February.

20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13724
23724
33724
43724
53824
63824
73824
83824
93824
103824
113824
123824
133824
143824
153824
163824
173824
183824
193824
203824
213824
223824
233824
243824
253824
263924
273924
283924
293924
303924
313924

How January really feels in Truckee

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.

Truckee 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
Jan38° / 24°7.011.611.29.50.0
Feb40° / 24°6.611.711.510.50.0
Mar43° / 26°6.21211.611.70.5
Apr47° / 29°3.59.98.4131.6
May57° / 35°2.69.34.414.14.2
Jun69° / 44°1.04.80.914.77.7
Jul78° / 52°0.53.2014.58.6
Aug77° / 52°0.53.2013.58.7
Sep71° / 46°0.73.70.412.38.2
Oct60° / 37°2.05.22.2115.7
Nov46° / 28°3.98.57.59.81.3
Dec37° / 24°7.011.611.19.30.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54159
64159
74159
84159
94258
104159
114159
124258
134258
144357
154357
164357
174357
184357
194357
204357
214357
224357
234258
244258
254258
264258
274159
284060
294060
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Truckee gets around 7.0 in of rain and snow over 11.6 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 38% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13536
23636
33636
43636
53636
63636
73636
83636
93636
103636
113636
123736
133737
143837
153938
163938
174038
184039
194139
204139
214139
224138
234038
244037
253937
263936
273836
283735
293735
303635
313634

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 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 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 7:26 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 4:42 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:264:42
29.37:264:43
39.37:264:44
49.37:264:44
59.37:264:45
69.37:264:46
79.37:264:47
89.47:264:48
99.47:264:49
109.47:264:50
119.47:264:51
129.47:264:52
139.57:254:52
149.57:254:53
159.57:254:54
169.57:254:55
179.57:244:57
189.67:244:58
199.67:234:59
209.67:235:00
219.67:235:01
229.77:225:02
239.77:225:03
249.77:215:04
259.77:205:05
269.87:205:06
279.87:195:07
289.87:185:09
299.97:185:10
309.97:175:11
319.97:165:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 8.21 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.51 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Truckee

In seasonPeak

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

Truckee's rainy season runs November–April, 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 Truckee?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Truckee.

What to pack for Truckee in January

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

In January, Truckee sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Truckee 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 Truckee peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Truckee 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 Truckee is worst in August — around 85 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 16.6× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateGoodAug 1679 µg/m³Dec 165 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr9Good
May9Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul45Poor
Aug85Unhealthy
Sep34Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Truckee?

Truckee sits at 39.3°N, 120.2°W, 5,817 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Reno, 24 mi away.

Topography around Truckee

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Truckee has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 994 ft around an average of 6,066 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,799 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,062 ft.

The land around Truckee is covered by trees (75%) within 2 miles, trees (85%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
994 ft
10 miles
3,799 ft
50 miles
10,062 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Reno 24 mi · Carson City 25 mi · Sparks 27 mi · Sun Valley 29 mi · Lake Tahoe 29 mi · Spanish Springs 34 mi · Fernley 53 mi · Cameron Park 63 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 Truckee (39.328°, -120.1833°, elevation 5,817 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).