Wake Forest weather in January

In January, Wake Forest sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 51°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Wake Forest's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wake Forest's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
12th warmest
Overnight low
33°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:29 AM – 5:18 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Wake Forest is town located in the U.S. state of North Carolina.

Density
969/km²
people per km²
Founded
1880

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 51°F through the month.

A typical January day in Wake Forest reaches about 51°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 36°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15135
25135
35135
45135
55135
65135
75135
85135
95134
105134
115134
125134
135034
145034
155033
165033
175033
185033
195033
205033
215032
225032
235032
245032
255032
265032
275032
285033
295133
305133
315133

How January really feels in Wake Forest

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.

Wake Forest weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 33°3.79.31.39.82.5
Feb54° / 35°3.29.11.310.63.3
Mar62° / 42°4.210.60.511.75.2
Apr71° / 51°3.59.3012.96.7
May78° / 60°3.710.7013.96.6
Jun85° / 68°4.012.1014.44.9
Jul88° / 71°4.715.7014.23.8
Aug86° / 70°4.312.2013.44.6
Sep81° / 64°4.710012.26.4
Oct71° / 52°3.27.5011.17.1
Nov61° / 42°3.47.80.110.15.5
Dec53° / 36°3.59.20.69.63.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% 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 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
85050
95149
105248
115248
125248
135347
145347
155347
165347
175347
185446
195545
205545
215545
225545
235545
245446
255446
265446
275446
285347
295347
305347
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Wake Forest gets around 3.7 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 32% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1293
2293
3293
4293
5293
6303
7303
8303
9303
10304
11304
12314
13314
14314
15324
16325
17325
18325
19325
20325
21315
22315
23315
24305
25305
26295
27295
28295
29284
30284
31284

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 (%)
19451
29451
39451
49352
59352
69352
79352
89442
99442
109442
119532
129532
139532
149631
159721
169721
179721
189721
199721
209721
219811
229811
239811
249811
259811
269811
279811
289811
299811
309811
319811

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 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 7:29 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 5:05 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:295:05
29.67:305:06
39.67:305:07
49.67:305:07
59.67:305:08
69.67:305:09
79.77:305:10
89.77:305:10
99.77:305:11
109.77:305:12
119.77:305:13
129.77:305:14
139.87:305:15
149.87:305:16
159.87:295:17
169.87:295:18
179.87:295:18
189.87:295:19
199.97:285:20
209.97:285:21
219.97:285:22
229.97:275:23
2310.07:275:24
2410.07:265:25
2510.07:265:26
2610.07:255:27
2710.17:255:28
2810.17:245:29
2910.17:245:30
3010.17:235:31
3110.27:225:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.54 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Wake Forest?

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

2.5
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 Wake Forest.

What to pack for Wake Forest in January

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

In January, Wake Forest sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Wake Forest 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 Wake Forest peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 13UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Wake Forest 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 Wake Forest is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Nov 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Wake Forest?

Wake Forest sits at 36.0°N, 78.5°W, 390 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Raleigh, 16 mi away.

Topography around Wake Forest

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Wake Forest has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 361 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 581 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,047 ft.

The land around Wake Forest is covered by trees (67%) within 2 miles, trees (72%) within 10 miles, and trees (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
581 ft
50 miles
1,047 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: West Raleigh 16 mi · Raleigh 16 mi · Garner 19 mi · Cary 20 mi · Morrisville 21 mi · Durham 22 mi · Clayton 23 mi · Henderson 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 Wake Forest (35.9799°, -78.5097°, elevation 390 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).