Brainerd weather in January: Brainerd, Minnesota: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Brainerd in January has a normal high of 21°F and a normal low of 0°F, a daily mean of 11°F, holding near 21°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 4 days in a normal January, 0.47 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −6°C and low of −18°C, 12 mm of precipitation in January.
- NOAA stationBrainerd Crow Wing County Airport
- Station IDUSW00094938
- Location46.40°N 94.13°W
- Elevation1,221 ft (372 m)
- Population14,400
- Jan 21° 0°
- Feb 27° 4°
- Mar 40° 18°
- Apr 55° 31°
- May 68° 43°
- Jun 77° 53°
- Jul 82° 58°
- Aug 79° 55°
- Sep 71° 47°
- Oct 56° 35°
- Nov 40° 22°
- Dec 26° 8°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Brainerd in January?
The normal high is 21°F and the normal low 0°F, for a daily mean of 10.6°F. January is 6.2°F cooler than December and 4.9°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Brainerd and the 11th wettest. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 6.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 5°F and 17°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 14%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 22°F | 2°F | 14% | 4% |
| January 8 | 21°F | 1°F | 13% | 4% |
| January 15 | 21°F | −1°F | 13% | 3% |
| January 22 | 21°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% |
| January 31 | 22°F | 0°F | 12% | 3% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 31, coldest night January 19)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 22°F | 2°F | 14% | 4% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 2 | 22°F | 2°F | 14% | 4% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 3 | 22°F | 2°F | 14% | 4% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 4 | 22°F | 1°F | 14% | 4% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 5 | 22°F | 1°F | 14% | 4% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 6 | 21°F | 1°F | 13% | 4% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 7 | 21°F | 1°F | 13% | 4% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 8 | 21°F | 1°F | 13% | 4% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 9 | 21°F | 0°F | 13% | 4% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 10 | 21°F | 0°F | 13% | 4% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 11 | 21°F | 0°F | 13% | 4% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 12 | 21°F | 0°F | 13% | 4% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 13 | 21°F | 0°F | 13% | 4% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 14 | 21°F | 0°F | 13% | 3% | 9 h |
| January 15 | 21°F | −1°F | 13% | 3% | 9 h |
| January 16 | 21°F | −1°F | 13% | 3% | 9 h |
| January 17 | 21°F | −1°F | 13% | 3% | 9 h |
| January 18 | 21°F | −1°F | 13% | 3% | 9 h |
| January 19 | 21°F | −1°F | 13% | 3% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 20 | 21°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 21 | 21°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 22 | 21°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 23 | 21°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 24 | 21°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 25 | 22°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 26 | 22°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 27 | 22°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 28 | 22°F | −1°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 29 | 22°F | 0°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 30 | 22°F | 0°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 31 | 22°F | 0°F | 12% | 3% | 9 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 21°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 0°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 0.47 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 40.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 31
- Daylight
- 8 h 40 min to 9 h 30 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 72%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094938; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Brainerd in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 13% on average, highest around January 1 (14%). In all, 0.47 in falls on 4 days of a normal January.
In a normal January in Brainerd, 31 nights fall to freezing and 26 days stay below freezing all day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094938.
How humid and windy is Brainerd in January?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 20°F with 62% relative humidity and a dew point of 10°F; at 6 a.m. it is 9°F with 83% humidity. The wind averages 7.2 mph, most often from the west in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 9°F | 5°F | 83% | 6.0 mph | – |
| 9 a.m. | 9°F | 4°F | 80% | 6.7 mph | – |
| noon | 17°F | 9°F | 69% | 8.5 mph | – |
| 3 p.m. | 20°F | 10°F | 62% | 9.2 mph | 54% |
| 6 p.m. | 17°F | 9°F | 68% | 7.6 mph | – |
| 9 p.m. | 13°F | 7°F | 75% | 7.0 mph | 55% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00094938. 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 Brainerd?
The warmest January temperature on Brainerd's official record (since 1898) is 56°F, on January 25, 1981; the coldest is −47°F, on January 19, 1994. The wettest January brought 2.85 in (1950); the snowiest, 38.2 inches (1950).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 10.6°F: 2021 18.4°F (+7.8), 2022 5.0°F (−5.6), 2023 15.9°F (+5.3), 2024 17.0°F (+6.4), 2025 11.2°F (+0.6), 2026 6.8°F (−3.8). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18.4°F | +7.8°F | 0.34 in |
| 2022 | 5.0°F | −5.6°F | 0.03 in |
| 2023 | 15.9°F | +5.3°F | 0.92 in |
| 2024 | 17.0°F | +6.4°F | 0.41 in |
| 2025 | 11.2°F | +0.6°F | 0.38 in |
| 2026 | 6.8°F | −3.8°F | 0.01 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record BRDthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094938. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Brainerd compare across Minnesota?
Across the 129 places PlainClimate covers in Minnesota, January normal highs run from 13°F in Hallock to 27°F in Winona; Brainerd's is 21°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.