Waynesboro weather in January

In January, Waynesboro sees average daytime highs of 42°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 8.2 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 42°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Waynesboro's 5th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Waynesboro's year-round climate.

Daytime high
42°
12th warmest
Overnight low
26°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
8.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:36 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
56%
5th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
out of 10

Waynesboro is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
546/km²
people per km²
Founded
1798

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 42°F through the month.

A typical January day in Waynesboro reaches about 42°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°F and 57°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)
14428
24428
34428
44328
54327
64327
74327
84327
94327
104327
114327
124227
134226
144226
154226
164226
174226
184226
194226
204225
214225
224225
234225
244225
254225
264225
274225
284225
294325
304325
314326

How January really feels in Waynesboro

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.

Waynesboro 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
Jan42° / 26°3.18.22.99.70.4
Feb46° / 28°2.88310.51.2
Mar54° / 35°3.810.32.111.73.4
Apr65° / 44°3.510.30.2135.7
May72° / 53°4.012.60146.3
Jun80° / 61°3.611.9014.66.1
Jul84° / 65°3.912.5014.45.3
Aug82° / 64°3.210.6013.56.1
Sep76° / 57°4.49.2012.37.0
Oct65° / 45°3.27.40.1116.4
Nov54° / 35°2.97.60.49.93.7
Dec46° / 29°3.38.129.41.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
34951
44951
54951
64951
74951
84852
94951
104951
114951
125050
135050
145149
155149
165149
175149
185149
195149
205248
215347
225347
235347
245347
255248
265248
275248
285149
295248
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Waynesboro gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 8.2 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 26% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1247
2257
3257
4267
5267
6278
7278
8278
9288
10288
11289
12289
13289
14289
15289
162810
172710
182710
192710
202710
212610
222611
232611
242611
252611
262611
272611
282511
292511
302511
312511

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:37 AM to 7:28 AM, and sunset from 5:01 PM to 5:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:375:01
29.47:375:01
39.47:375:02
49.47:375:03
59.47:375:04
69.57:375:05
79.57:375:05
89.57:375:06
99.57:375:07
109.57:375:08
119.57:375:09
129.57:375:10
139.67:375:11
149.67:365:12
159.67:365:13
169.67:365:14
179.77:365:15
189.77:355:16
199.77:355:17
209.77:355:18
219.77:345:19
229.87:345:20
239.87:335:21
249.87:335:22
259.87:325:23
269.97:325:24
279.97:315:25
289.97:305:26
2910.07:305:27
3010.07:295:28
3110.07:285:30

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Waynesboro?

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

0.4
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 Waynesboro.

What to pack for Waynesboro in January

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

In January, Waynesboro sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Waynesboro 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 Waynesboro peaks around June 22 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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Waynesboro 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 Waynesboro is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Waynesboro?

Waynesboro sits at 38.1°N, 78.9°W, 1,286 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Staunton, 11 mi away.

Topography around Waynesboro

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Waynesboro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 620 ft around an average of 1,388 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,058 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,400 ft.

The land around Waynesboro is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (64%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
620 ft
10 miles
3,058 ft
50 miles
4,400 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Staunton 11 mi · Charlottesville 22 mi · Harrisonburg 26 mi · Lynchburg 47 mi · West Lynchburg 48 mi · Culpeper 56 mi · Front Royal 70 mi · Short Pump 75 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 Waynesboro (38.0685°, -78.8895°, elevation 1,286 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).