These 10 States Have the Best January Weather

10 Virginia

Being on the coast, Virginia has some variation in its weather year-round. Additionally, it borders the Midwest and Northeast climate regions but is in the southeast. For states with the best January weather, it’s the farthest north.
Virginia’s location and variegated topography mean occasional hurricanes, significant disturbances, including winter storms, and even a few earthquakes.
The temperature will vary based on location. Coastal Virginia will be warmer. Overall the January temperature average is 43.9 F. Precipitation is relatively consistent at under 4 inches for January throughout the state.

9 North Carolina

North Carolina, just below Virginia, does not border the cold northeast but is adjacent to the Midwest’s Ohio Valley region, which gets cold. It is also on the coast.

North Carolina is not out of reach for hurricanes and various Atlantic storms. The occasional winter storm will show up as well.

January temps average 39.4 F overall. North Carolina gets moderate precipitation for the first month of the year, except for the Blue Ridge Mountains in the far west which get more. The state receives 4.1 inches of January precipitation overall.

8 North Carolina

South Carolina is below North Carolina, which is convenient, given its name. That drop south makes things noticeably warmer.
While more hurricanes reach the Palmetto state, it has fewer FEMA-declared disasters overall. Those disasters are also less varied than those in North Carolina and tend to be storms.
Most of the state does not dip below the 30s. Even going up north, there’s not often much of a drop below freezing. That’s the case even in the far northwest of the state.
There will be more rain in January as it approaches the mountains in that western blade of the state. Rain will be about 6 inches in that part or almost double the 3.7 inches along the coastal parts.

7 Florida

Florida is probably the warmest state in which to spend the winter. The far tip of the Sunshine State stretches just past the end of Texas into the Atlantic. It’s the furthest state south on the mainland.
The biggest hazard in Florida is, of course, hurricanes. Average weather coming off the ocean can be quite blustery, even in January. So these are hazards.
This state is consistently warm through the first month of the year. The average January temperature is 59 F. It’s common knowledge that this is a rainy state, but the average for the year’s first month is a comparatively damp 4.3 inches.

6 Texas

Texas could be its own region. But January and most of the cooler months stay manageable. It’s a good candidate for some of the best January weather.
Climates vary enormously based only on Texas’ size. The coast can see hurricanes, the southwestern region may get wildfires, and the state’s northeast is near Tornado Alley.
Looking at the whole state, Texas’ average temperature for January is 45 F with the usual north-south variables. Taken as a whole, The Lone Star states get less than two inches of rain in January.

5 Arkansas

Arkansas is just above the humid, boot-shaped state of Louisiana. The state is far enough north to cool off some of the coastal heat.
With that variation in weather climates, Arkansas sits along Tornado Alley; cyclones are indeed a problem. And Arkansas is in the top ten for US states.
The temps stay above freezing at 39 F overall for the month. Precipitation for January is 4.0 inches on average, with occasional jumps into 6.0 inches.

4 Nevada

Nevada is located in the Southwest US and has the most diverse weather on this list so far. And that’s true even in January.
Nevada is the least rainy state in the US. The deserts of Las Vegas and thereabouts are, indeed, quite warm. “Precipitation” needs a bit of a breakdown here.
As far temps, the Silver State is surprisingly low at 29.9 F. The state’s far north and far west will get colder, but Vegas will rarely drop below freezing in January.
There is much more rain and snow, with regions near Tahoe getting several feet of snow in January. However, for those who want to go to the warmer part of the state, less than 2 inches of precipitation is a good average for January weather.

3 Oklahoma

Oklahoma, just above Texas, is a flatter state, but we could also call it smoother. That applies to the weather as well, at least in January.

The one colossal exception to smooth weather is that Oklahoma is the center lane of Tornado Alley. Historically, it’s near the top for US states, with over 4,000 tornados since 1950, according to US News & World Report.

In January, the average temperature in the state is a steady 36.5 F, whether in OKC or Tulsa. The precipitation cooperates as well, staying at 1.3 inches for the month.

2 New Mexico, by Far the Driest State with the Best January Weather

New Mexico is very dry and the Land of Enchantment is also one of the highest states, with an average mean elevation of 5700 feet (1737 m).
There are occasional wildfires in the forested regions, which is always a hazard in parched but technically temperate places.
New Mexico’s average temperature for the first month of the year is 34.1 F. That’s a bit low, but New Mexicans will not be dodging many raindrops in January. The state has less than 2 inches of precipitation for every January on record and a mean average of 0.6 inches.

1 Arizona Is the State with the Best January Weather

Arizona is number one for states with the best January weather. Known for its blazing summers, the Copper State cools off in January. Arizona, one of the larger states, also sees some weather variation going north to south.
Like New Mexico, there are occasional wildfires. The volcanoes appear to be under control.
The temperature for southern Arizona can routinely go into the 60s, with Flagstaff up north routinely dropping into the 20s. However, with the average precipitation at 1.1 inches for the first month of the year and the primary hazard of punishing heat all but gone, this is an ideal place to start the year.