Winchester weather in January

In January, Winchester sees average daytime highs of 42°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-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 23% 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 Winchester's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Winchester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
42°
12th warmest
Overnight low
28°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:57 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
69%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Winchester is city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States.

Density
903/km²
people per km²

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 Winchester reaches about 42°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 58°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14430
24430
34430
44330
54329
64329
74329
84329
94329
104229
114228
124228
134228
144228
154227
164227
174227
184127
194127
204127
214126
224126
234226
244226
254226
264227
274227
284227
294227
304327
314327

How January really feels in Winchester

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.

Winchester weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 28°3.710.43.29.70.3
Feb46° / 30°3.810.53.110.51.2
Mar55° / 37°4.4121.811.73.4
Apr66° / 47°4.812.40.3135.6
May74° / 56°4.713.30146.2
Jun82° / 65°4.313.1014.65.5
Jul85° / 68°4.112.4014.44.9
Aug85° / 67°3.110.7013.55.3
Sep79° / 60°3.58.3012.37.0
Oct67° / 48°3.38.70.1116.4
Nov55° / 38°3.59.10.59.93.6
Dec46° / 32°4.210.82.29.41.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23367
33268
43367
53268
63367
73367
83367
93367
103367
113367
123367
133367
143367
153367
163367
173466
183466
193466
203466
213565
223664
233763
243664
253763
263763
273763
283664
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Winchester gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 10.4 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1349
2349
3359
4359
5359
63610
73610
83610
93610
103611
113611
123611
133612
143612
153512
163512
173512
183412
193412
203312
213312
223212
233212
243211
253211
263211
273211
283311
293311
303311
313411

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 (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

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 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 7:58 AM to 7:49 AM, and sunset from 5:22 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.47:585:22
29.47:585:23
39.47:585:24
49.47:585:24
59.47:585:25
69.57:585:26
79.57:585:27
89.57:585:28
99.57:585:29
109.57:585:29
119.57:585:30
129.67:585:31
139.67:585:32
149.67:575:33
159.67:575:34
169.67:575:35
179.77:575:36
189.77:565:37
199.77:565:38
209.77:565:39
219.87:555:40
229.87:555:41
239.87:545:42
249.87:545:43
259.97:535:44
269.97:535:45
279.97:525:47
289.97:515:48
2910.07:515:49
3010.07:505:50
3110.07:495:51

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.81 kWh/m² to a high of 6.14 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.13 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
102.0Dim
112.0Dim
122.0Moderate
132.0Moderate
142.0Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Winchester?

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

0.3
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 Winchester.

What to pack for Winchester in January

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

In January, Winchester sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Winchester 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 Winchester peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 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 highHighModerateJun 20UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Winchester 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 Winchester is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Dec 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Winchester?

Winchester sits at 38.0°N, 84.2°W, 994 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lexington-Fayette, 16 mi away.

Topography around Winchester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Winchester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 ft around an average of 971 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 561 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,257 ft.

The land around Winchester is covered by grassland (45%) and trees (31%) within 2 miles, grassland (50%) and trees (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (57%) and grassland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
177 ft
10 miles
561 ft
50 miles
1,257 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Lexington-Fayette 16 mi · Lexington 16 mi · Richmond 18 mi · Nicholasville 23 mi · Georgetown 25 mi · Danville 40 mi · Frankfort 40 mi · Shelbyville 59 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 Winchester (37.9901°, -84.1796°, elevation 994 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).