Ames weather in January: Ames, Iowa: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Ames in January has a normal high of 29°F and a normal low of 11°F, a daily mean of 20°F, holding near 29°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 6 days in a normal January, 0.61 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −2°C and low of −12°C, 15 mm of precipitation in January.
- NOAA stationAmes Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00094989
- Location41.99°N 93.62°W
- Elevation930 ft (284 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population69,026
- Jan 29° 11°
- Feb 33° 15°
- Mar 47° 27°
- Apr 61° 38°
- May 72° 50°
- Jun 81° 60°
- Jul 84° 63°
- Aug 82° 60°
- Sep 76° 51°
- Oct 63° 39°
- Nov 47° 27°
- Dec 34° 17°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Ames in January?
The normal high is 29°F and the normal low 11°F, for a daily mean of 19.8°F. January is 5.4°F cooler than December and 4.6°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Ames and the 12th wettest. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 5.2°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 15°F and 25°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 20%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 30°F | 12°F | 18% | 7% |
| January 8 | 29°F | 11°F | 18% | 6% |
| January 15 | 28°F | 10°F | 19% | 6% |
| January 22 | 29°F | 10°F | 19% | 5% |
| January 31 | 30°F | 11°F | 20% | 6% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 1, coldest night January 18)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 30°F | 12°F | 18% | 7% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 2 | 29°F | 12°F | 18% | 7% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 3 | 29°F | 12°F | 18% | 6% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 4 | 29°F | 12°F | 18% | 6% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 5 | 29°F | 12°F | 18% | 6% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 6 | 29°F | 11°F | 18% | 6% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 7 | 29°F | 11°F | 18% | 6% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 8 | 29°F | 11°F | 18% | 6% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 9 | 29°F | 11°F | 18% | 6% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 10 | 29°F | 11°F | 18% | 6% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 11 | 28°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 12 | 28°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 13 | 28°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 14 | 28°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 15 | 28°F | 10°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 16 | 28°F | 10°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 17 | 28°F | 10°F | 19% | 5% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 18 | 28°F | 10°F | 19% | 5% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 19 | 28°F | 10°F | 19% | 5% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 20 | 28°F | 10°F | 19% | 5% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 21 | 28°F | 10°F | 19% | 5% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 22 | 29°F | 10°F | 19% | 5% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 23 | 29°F | 10°F | 19% | 5% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 24 | 29°F | 11°F | 19% | 5% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 25 | 29°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 26 | 29°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 27 | 29°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 28 | 29°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 29 | 29°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 30 | 29°F | 11°F | 19% | 6% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 31 | 30°F | 11°F | 20% | 6% | 10 h |
- Normal high
- 29°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 11°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 0.61 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 60.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 30
- Daylight
- 9 h 10 min to 10 hJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 68%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094989; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Ames in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 19% on average, highest around January 31 (20%). In all, 0.61 in falls on 6 days of a normal January.
In a normal January in Ames, 30 nights fall to freezing and 18 days stay below freezing all day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094989.
What are the records for January in Ames?
The warmest January temperature on this station's record (since 1996) is 67°F, on January 26, 2002; the coldest is −31°F, on January 16, 2009. The wettest January brought 2.37 in (2023).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 19.8°F: 2021 23.6°F (+3.8), 2022 15.5°F (−4.3), 2023 24.1°F (+4.3), 2024 21.5°F (+1.7), 2025 19.9°F (+0.1), 2026 19.5°F (−0.3). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 23.6°F | +3.8°F | – |
| 2022 | 15.5°F | −4.3°F | – |
| 2023 | 24.1°F | +4.3°F | 2.37 in |
| 2024 | 21.5°F | +1.7°F | – |
| 2025 | 19.9°F | +0.1°F | 0.23 in |
| 2026 | 19.5°F | −0.3°F | 1.56 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00094989; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094989. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Ames compare across Iowa?
Across the 132 places PlainClimate covers in Iowa, January normal highs run from 21°F in Northwood to 33°F in Shenandoah; Ames's is 29°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.