West Lafayette weather in January

In January, West Lafayette sees average daytime highs of 34°F and overnight lows near 20°F, with 2.7 in of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is West Lafayette's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see West Lafayette's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
12th warmest
Overnight low
20°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.7 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
8:15 AM – 5:39 PM
Cloud cover
72%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

West Lafayette is city in Indiana, USA.

Density
1,273/km²
people per km²
Founded
1888

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 34°F through the month.

A typical January day in West Lafayette reaches about 34°F in the afternoon and slips back to 20°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13622
23622
33522
43522
53522
63522
73521
83521
93521
103421
113420
123420
133420
143420
153420
163420
173320
183320
193319
203319
213319
223419
233419
243420
253420
263420
273420
283420
293520
303520
313520

How January really feels in West Lafayette

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.

West Lafayette weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 20°2.79.14.99.40.0
Feb39° / 23°2.38.14.210.40.1
Mar50° / 32°3.310.42.411.72.2
Apr62° / 43°4.311.70.4135.0
May72° / 54°4.313.3014.26.1
Jun80° / 63°4.312.8014.86.0
Jul83° / 66°3.611.2014.65.7
Aug82° / 64°3.29.8013.66.5
Sep77° / 56°2.78.1012.37.1
Oct64° / 45°3.190.110.95.9
Nov50° / 35°3.18.51.29.82.4
Dec39° / 26°2.59.23.79.20.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23070
33070
42971
52971
62872
72872
82773
92773
102971
112971
122971
133070
143070
153169
163169
173169
183268
193367
203466
213466
223466
233466
243466
253565
263565
273565
283466
293565
303565
313466

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

West Lafayette gets around 2.7 in of rain and snow over 9.1 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 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12813
22913
32914
42914
53014
63015
73015
83015
93015
103116
113116
123116
133116
143116
153116
163116
173016
183016
193016
203016
212916
222916
232916
242816
252816
262816
272816
282816
292816
302716
312716

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 10 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 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 8:16 AM to 8:06 AM, and sunset from 5:26 PM to 5:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.28:165:26
29.28:165:26
39.28:165:27
49.28:165:28
59.28:165:29
69.28:165:30
79.28:165:31
89.38:165:31
99.38:165:32
109.38:165:33
119.38:165:34
129.38:165:35
139.38:155:36
149.48:155:37
159.48:155:38
169.48:155:39
179.48:145:40
189.58:145:41
199.58:135:43
209.58:135:44
219.58:125:45
229.68:125:46
239.68:115:47
249.68:115:48
259.78:105:49
269.78:095:50
279.78:095:52
289.78:085:53
299.88:075:54
309.88:065:55
319.88:065:56

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Dim
172.0Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit West Lafayette?

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

0.0
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 West Lafayette.

What to pack for West Lafayette in January

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

In January, West Lafayette sees daytime highs around 34°F and nights near 20°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in West Lafayette 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 West Lafayette peaks around July 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in West Lafayette 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 West Lafayette is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1516 µg/m³Oct 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is West Lafayette?

West Lafayette sits at 40.4°N, 86.9°W, 610 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lafayette, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around West Lafayette

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around West Lafayette has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 ft around an average of 620 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 627 ft.

The land around West Lafayette is covered by trees (40%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 2 miles, cropland (50%) and trees (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
269 ft
10 miles
312 ft
50 miles
627 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Lafayette 1.9 mi · Frankfort 23 mi · Crawfordsville 27 mi · Lebanon 35 mi · Logansport 37 mi · Kokomo 41 mi · Danville 43 mi · Zionsville 47 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 West Lafayette (40.4259°, -86.9081°, elevation 610 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).