Westminster weather in January

In January, Westminster sees average daytime highs of 40°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 40°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Westminster's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Westminster's year-round climate.

Daytime high
40°
12th warmest
Overnight low
26°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
8.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:32 AM – 5:02 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Westminster is city in Carroll County, northern Maryland, United States.

Density
1,085/km²
people per km²
Founded
1764

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 40°F through the month.

A typical January day in Westminster reaches about 40°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 54°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14229
24128
34128
44128
54128
64128
74128
84128
94028
104027
114027
124027
134027
144027
154026
164026
173926
183926
193926
203925
213925
223925
233925
243925
253925
263925
274025
284025
294025
304025
314026

How January really feels in Westminster

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.

Westminster 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
Jan40° / 26°3.28.83.59.50.0
Feb43° / 28°2.88.73.710.40.5
Mar52° / 35°3.910.52.611.72.7
Apr64° / 45°3.510.50.2135.4
May72° / 55°3.711.7014.16.4
Jun81° / 64°3.611.1014.75.9
Jul86° / 68°3.911.1014.55.0
Aug83° / 67°3.510.3013.65.7
Sep77° / 60°4.59.3012.36.9
Oct65° / 48°3.58010.96.2
Nov54° / 38°3.17.80.49.83.4
Dec44° / 31°3.68.92.19.30.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34456
44555
54456
64357
74357
84357
94456
104456
114357
124357
134357
144357
154456
164357
174456
184456
194456
204456
214357
224357
234456
244456
254654
264555
274555
284555
294555
304555
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Westminster gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 8.8 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 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1288
2288
3299
4299
5309
6309
73010
83110
93110
103110
113111
123111
133011
143011
153012
162912
172912
182912
192812
202813
212813
222713
232713
242713
252713
262714
272714
282714
292814
302814
312814

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
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light 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 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 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 7:34 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 4:49 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:344:49
29.37:344:49
39.37:344:50
49.37:344:51
59.37:344:52
69.37:344:53
79.37:344:53
89.37:344:54
99.47:344:55
109.47:344:56
119.47:344:57
129.47:344:58
139.47:334:59
149.47:335:00
159.57:335:01
169.57:325:02
179.57:325:03
189.57:325:04
199.67:315:05
209.67:315:06
219.67:305:07
229.67:305:08
239.77:295:10
249.77:295:11
259.77:285:12
269.87:285:13
279.87:275:14
289.87:265:15
299.87:265:16
309.97:255:17
319.97:245:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.13 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
52.0Dim
62.0Dim
72.0Dim
82.0Dim
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Westminster?

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 Westminster.

What to pack for Westminster in January

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

In January, Westminster sees daytime highs around 40°F and nights near 26°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 Westminster 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 Westminster peaks around July 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Westminster 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 Westminster is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1317 µg/m³Nov 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Westminster?

Westminster sits at 39.6°N, 77.0°W, 764 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Reisterstown, 11 mi away.

Topography around Westminster

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Westminster has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 397 ft around an average of 751 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,102 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,260 ft.

The land around Westminster is covered by trees (46%) and grassland (29%) within 2 miles, trees (47%), grassland (27%) and cropland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
397 ft
10 miles
1,102 ft
50 miles
2,260 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Reisterstown 11 mi · Eldersburg 12 mi · Hanover 16 mi · Owings Mills 16 mi · Randallstown 18 mi · Hunt Valley 20 mi · Milford Mill 20 mi · Cockeysville 20 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 Westminster (39.5754°, -76.9958°, elevation 764 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).