Birmingham weather in January: Birmingham, Alabama: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Birmingham in January has a normal high of 55°F and a normal low of 35°F, a daily mean of 45°F, rising from 54°F on the 1st to 56°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal January, 5.03 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 13°C and low of 2°C, 128 mm of precipitation and 1 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationBirmingham Airport
- Station IDUSW00013876
- Location33.57°N 86.75°W
- Elevation615 ft (188 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population196,357
- Jan 55° 35°
- Feb 59° 38°
- Mar 67° 45°
- Apr 75° 52°
- May 82° 61°
- Jun 88° 69°
- Jul 91° 72°
- Aug 91° 71°
- Sep 86° 65°
- Oct 76° 54°
- Nov 65° 43°
- Dec 57° 38°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Birmingham in January?
The normal high is 55°F and the normal low 35°F, for a daily mean of 44.7°F. January is 2.7°F cooler than December and 4.1°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Birmingham and the 4th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 2°F, from 54°F on January 1 to 56°F on January 31. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 4.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 41°F and 49°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 35%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 54°F | 36°F | 35% | 25% |
| January 8 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% |
| January 15 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% |
| January 22 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% |
| January 31 | 56°F | 35°F | 35% | 25% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 31, coldest night January 15)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 54°F | 36°F | 35% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 2 | 54°F | 36°F | 35% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 3 | 54°F | 36°F | 35% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 4 | 54°F | 36°F | 35% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 5 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 6 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h |
| January 7 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h |
| January 8 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h |
| January 9 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h |
| January 10 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h |
| January 11 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h |
| January 12 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 13 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 14 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 15 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 16 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 17 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 18 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 19 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 20 | 54°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 21 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 22 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 23 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 24 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 25 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 26 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 27 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 28 | 55°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 30 min |
| January 29 | 56°F | 35°F | 35% | 24% | 10 h 30 min |
| January 30 | 56°F | 35°F | 35% | 25% | 10 h 30 min |
| January 31 | 56°F | 35°F | 35% | 25% | 10 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 55°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 35°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 5.03 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 0.4 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 15
- Daylight
- 10 h to 10 h 30 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 2
- Sunshine
- 71%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00013876; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Birmingham in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 35% on average, highest around January 31 (35%). In all, 5.03 in falls on 11 days of a normal January, 2 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal January in Birmingham, 15 nights fall to freezing, 1 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 0.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013876.
How humid and windy is Birmingham in January?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 54°F with 44% relative humidity and a dew point of 33°F; at 6 a.m. it is 39°F with 78% humidity. The wind averages 6.9 mph, most often from the west-northwest in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 39°F | 33°F | 78% | 5.5 mph | 47% |
| 9 a.m. | 44°F | 34°F | 67% | 7.6 mph | 39% |
| noon | 51°F | 33°F | 51% | 9.3 mph | 43% |
| 3 p.m. | 54°F | 33°F | 44% | 9.6 mph | 46% |
| 6 p.m. | 49°F | 34°F | 56% | 6.7 mph | 48% |
| 9 p.m. | 45°F | 34°F | 67% | 5.8 mph | 57% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013876. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for January in Birmingham?
The warmest January temperature on Birmingham's official record (since 1895) is 81°F, on January 10, 1949; the coldest is −6°F, on January 21, 1985. The wettest January brought 13.37 in (1937); the snowiest, 11.8 inches (1936).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 44.7°F: 2021 45.8°F (+1.1), 2022 43.4°F (−1.4), 2023 50.9°F (+6.2), 2024 42.9°F (−1.8), 2025 39.7°F (−5.0), 2026 43.4°F (−1.3). 2 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.8°F | +1.1°F | 3.05 in |
| 2022 | 43.4°F | −1.4°F | 4.35 in |
| 2023 | 50.9°F | +6.2°F | 8.11 in |
| 2024 | 42.9°F | −1.8°F | 6.28 in |
| 2025 | 39.7°F | −5.0°F | 2.33 in |
| 2026 | 43.4°F | −1.3°F | 6.78 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record BHMthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013876. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Birmingham compare across Alabama?
Across the 80 places PlainClimate covers in Alabama, January normal highs run from 48°F in Bridgeport to 63°F in Andalusia; Birmingham's is 55°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.