Walker weather in January

In January, Walker sees average daytime highs of 31°F and overnight lows near 19°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Walker's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Walker's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
12th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:18 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
84%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Walker is city in Kent County, Michigan, United States.

Density
373/km²
people per km²
Founded
1837

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 31°F through the month.

A typical January day in Walker reaches about 31°F in the afternoon and slips back to 19°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°F and 42°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13322
23222
33222
43221
53221
63221
73121
83120
93120
103120
113120
123119
133019
143019
153019
163018
173018
183018
193018
203018
213017
223017
233017
243017
253017
263017
273017
283017
293018
303018
313018

How January really feels in Walker

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
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Walker weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 19°2.410.510.19.20.0
Feb33° / 19°1.98.16.510.20.0
Mar44° / 28°2.59.4411.60.9
Apr57° / 38°4.012.11.713.13.7
May68° / 49°4.311.9014.46.0
Jun77° / 59°3.811.3015.16.6
Jul81° / 63°3.810.9014.86.5
Aug79° / 61°3.610.5013.86.7
Sep72° / 54°3.19.3012.36.8
Oct59° / 43°3.411.40.210.84.4
Nov46° / 34°2.7102.79.51.2
Dec35° / 25°2.310.88.18.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21387
31387
41288
51288
61387
71387
81288
91288
101288
111387
121387
131387
141486
151486
161486
171486
181486
191486
201486
211486
221684
231684
241684
251684
261783
271783
281882
291882
301981
311981

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Walker gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 10.5 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13428
23428
33428
43529
53529
63630
73630
83630
93631
103631
113632
123632
133533
143533
153533
163533
173434
183434
193334
203334
213235
223235
233235
243134
253134
263134
273133
283033
293032
303031
312930

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 9 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light 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 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:20 AM to 8:07 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:205:13
28.98:205:13
38.98:205:14
48.98:205:15
58.98:205:16
68.98:205:17
79.08:205:18
89.08:205:19
99.08:205:20
109.08:205:21
119.08:195:22
129.18:195:23
139.18:195:24
149.18:185:25
159.18:185:26
169.28:185:27
179.28:175:28
189.28:175:29
199.28:165:31
209.38:165:32
219.38:155:33
229.38:145:34
239.48:145:35
249.48:135:37
259.48:125:38
269.58:125:39
279.58:115:40
289.58:105:42
299.68:095:43
309.68:085:44
319.68:075:45

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.3 kWh/m² to a high of 6.53 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.61 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
282.0Dim
292.0Moderate
302.0Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Walker?

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 Walker.

What to pack for Walker in January

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

In January, Walker sees daytime highs around 31°F and nights near 19°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Walker in January

The nearest coast averages about 39°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 32 mi away) is warmest in August at about 70°F and coldest in March near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 24 to Sep 5 — about 1.4 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb37Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May43Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul67Cool
Aug70Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct58Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec43Bracing

UV index in Walker in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Walker peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Walker?

Walker sits at 43.0°N, 85.8°W, 748 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Grand Rapids, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around Walker

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Walker has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 ft around an average of 748 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Walker is covered by trees (47%) and grassland (26%) within 2 miles, trees (42%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (45%) and cropland (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
164 ft
10 miles
433 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Grand Rapids 5.6 mi · Grandville 6.2 mi · Jenison 6.8 mi · Wyoming 6.8 mi · Allendale 9.3 mi · Kentwood 11 mi · Forest Hills 14 mi · Holland 23 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 Walker (43.0014°, -85.7681°, elevation 748 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).