Virginia Beach weather in January

In January, Virginia Beach sees average daytime highs of 47°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation across 9.7 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 47°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 Virginia Beach's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Virginia Beach's year-round climate.

Daytime high
47°
12th warmest
Overnight low
37°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.8 in
9.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:21 AM – 5:05 PM
Cloud cover
58%
10th clearest
Wind
11 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Virginia Beach is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
353/km²
people per km²
Founded
1906

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 47°F through the month.

A typical January day in Virginia Beach reaches about 47°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 59°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°F cooler than December and on par with February.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14939
24939
34939
44939
54939
64939
74938
84838
94838
104838
114838
124838
134837
144737
154737
164737
174737
184737
194736
204736
214736
224636
234636
244636
254636
264636
274736
284736
294736
304736
314736

How January really feels in Virginia Beach

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 27 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
27
wind chill below the day's low

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

Virginia Beach weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan47° / 37°3.89.71.39.81.7
Feb49° / 38°3.39.7110.61.9
Mar54° / 44°4.010.60.511.73.4
Apr63° / 53°3.39.3012.95.7
May71° / 62°3.510.2013.96.6
Jun79° / 70°3.510.4014.56.6
Jul83° / 75°4.613.5014.35.5
Aug82° / 74°4.312.4013.46.1
Sep77° / 69°4.510.8012.36.8
Oct68° / 60°3.880116.7
Nov59° / 49°3.78.50104.7
Dec52° / 42°3.89.60.49.52.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24654
34753
44753
54654
64753
74852
84852
94852
104852
114852
125050
135050
145050
155050
164951
174951
184951
194951
204951
214951
224951
234852
244852
254951
264951
274951
284951
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Virginia Beach gets around 3.8 in of rain and snow over 9.7 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1323
2323
3323
4323
5323
6323
7323
8323
9323
10323
11323
12324
13324
14324
15324
16325
17325
18325
19325
20325
21315
22316
23316
24306
25305
26305
27305
28305
29305
30304
31304

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29631
39631
49730
59730
69730
79730
89730
99730
109730
119730
129730
139820
149820
159820
169820
179820
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
239910
249910
259910
269910
279910
289910
299910
309910
319910

Wind in January

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 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
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light 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 7:22 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 4:53 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:224:53
29.57:224:53
39.57:224:54
49.57:224:55
59.67:224:56
69.67:224:56
79.67:224:57
89.67:224:58
99.67:224:59
109.67:225:00
119.67:225:01
129.77:225:01
139.77:225:02
149.77:225:03
159.77:215:04
169.77:215:05
179.87:215:06
189.87:215:07
199.87:205:08
209.87:205:09
219.87:205:10
229.97:195:11
239.97:195:12
249.97:185:13
259.97:185:14
2610.07:175:15
2710.07:175:16
2810.07:165:17
2910.17:155:18
3010.17:155:19
3110.17:145:21

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.47 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.47 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
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
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Virginia Beach

In seasonPeak

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

Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach?

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

1.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Virginia Beach.

What to pack for Virginia Beach in January

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

In January, Virginia Beach sees daytime highs around 47°F and nights near 37°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Virginia Beach in January

The nearest coast averages about 46°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 78°F and coldest in February near 43°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 16 — about 4.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan46Bracing
Feb43Bracing
Mar46Bracing
Apr53Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul77Warm
Aug78Warm
Sep75Warm
Oct68Refreshing
Nov59Cool
Dec52Bracing

UV index in Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (November, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1015 µg/m³Nov 205 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May12Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug12Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct6Good
Nov5Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach sits at 36.9°N, 76.0°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Chesapeake, 17 mi away.

Topography around Virginia Beach

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Virginia Beach has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 ft around an average of 10 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 144 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 ft.

The land around Virginia Beach is covered by water (51%) and trees (23%) within 2 miles, water (61%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and water (52%) and trees (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
102 ft
10 miles
144 ft
50 miles
210 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Chesapeake 17 mi · Norfolk 17 mi · Portsmouth 18 mi · Portsmouth Heights 22 mi · East Hampton 24 mi · Hampton 24 mi · Newport News 27 mi · Suffolk 35 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 Virginia Beach (36.8529°, -75.978°, elevation 10 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).