Yakima weather in January

In January, Yakima sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 2.3 in of precipitation across 10.9 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 36°F in the first days to 41°F by the end. 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 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Yakima's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yakima's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
11th warmest
Overnight low
26°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
2.3 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:49 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
4 mph
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Yakima is city in and county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,284/km²
people per km²
Founded
1847

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 36°F in the first days to 41°F by the end.

A typical January day in Yakima reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 49°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 6°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13625
23625
33625
43625
53725
63725
73725
83725
93725
103726
113726
123726
133726
143826
153826
163826
173826
183826
193826
203826
213926
223926
233926
243927
254027
264027
274027
284027
294027
304127
314127

How January really feels in Yakima

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.

Yakima weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 26°2.310.95.68.80.0
Feb44° / 28°1.67.53.1100.9
Mar53° / 33°1.37.51.311.63.3
Apr62° / 38°0.84.70.113.35.8
May72° / 46°0.74.3014.87.6
Jun80° / 53°0.42.5015.67.8
Jul88° / 58°0.10.8015.25.7
Aug87° / 57°0.10.80146.2
Sep77° / 49°0.31.9012.48.4
Oct62° / 40°1.25.50.110.65.9
Nov47° / 31°2.092.29.21.5
Dec38° / 26°2.610.968.40.0

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23466
33466
43466
53466
63367
73367
83367
93367
103169
113268
123268
133268
143268
153268
163268
173268
183268
193169
203169
213268
223268
233268
243268
253169
263367
273367
283268
293367
303367
313466

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Yakima gets around 2.3 in of rain and snow over 10.9 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13721
23720
33720
43720
53720
63720
73720
83820
93820
103820
113820
123820
133820
143820
153820
163720
173720
183620
193519
203519
213418
223317
233317
243216
253115
263014
273014
282913
292913
302912
312912

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 4 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:52 AM to 7:36 AM, and sunset from 4:18 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.47:524:18
28.47:524:19
38.57:524:20
48.57:524:21
58.57:524:22
68.57:524:23
78.57:524:24
88.57:524:25
98.67:524:26
108.67:514:27
118.67:514:28
128.67:514:29
138.77:504:30
148.77:504:31
158.77:494:33
168.87:494:34
178.87:484:35
188.87:484:36
198.87:474:38
208.97:464:39
218.97:454:40
229.07:454:42
239.07:444:43
249.07:434:44
259.17:424:46
269.17:414:47
279.17:404:49
289.27:394:50
299.27:384:52
309.37:374:53
319.37:364:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 7.84 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.54 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.7Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
312.0Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Yakima?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Yakima.

What to pack for Yakima in January

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

In January, Yakima sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Yakima 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 Yakima peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Yakima 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 Yakima is worst in August — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 10.9× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodPoorModerateGoodAug 1948 µg/m³Dec 215 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug51Poor
Sep31Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Yakima?

Yakima sits at 46.6°N, 120.5°W, 1,070 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ellensburg, 27 mi away.

Topography around Yakima

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Yakima has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 669 ft around an average of 1,076 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,356 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,533 ft.

The land around Yakima is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) within 2 miles, grassland (64%) within 10 miles, and grassland (51%) and trees (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
669 ft
10 miles
2,356 ft
50 miles
7,533 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ellensburg 27 mi · Sunnyside 30 mi · Wenatchee 58 mi · Richland 62 mi · Tri-Cities 67 mi · Moses Lake 68 mi · Kennewick 71 mi · Pasco 71 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 Yakima (46.6021°, -120.5059°, elevation 1,070 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).