Columbus weather in January: Columbus, Ohio: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Columbus in January has a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 22°F, a daily mean of 30°F, holding near 37°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 15 days in a normal January, 3.00 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 3°C and low of −6°C, 76 mm of precipitation and 24 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationColumbus Port Columbus International Airport
- Station IDUSW00014821
- Location39.99°N 82.88°W
- Elevation810 ft (247 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population933,263
- Jan 37° 22°
- Feb 41° 24°
- Mar 51° 32°
- Apr 64° 42°
- May 74° 52°
- Jun 82° 62°
- Jul 85° 65°
- Aug 84° 64°
- Sep 78° 57°
- Oct 66° 45°
- Nov 52° 35°
- Dec 42° 27°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Columbus in January?
The normal high is 37°F and the normal low 22°F, for a daily mean of 29.6°F. January is 4.9°F cooler than December and 2.9°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Columbus and the 9th wettest, and the snowiest. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 5.0°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 25°F and 35°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 46%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 38°F | 24°F | 45% | 22% |
| January 8 | 37°F | 23°F | 46% | 22% |
| January 15 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 21% |
| January 22 | 37°F | 21°F | 46% | 21% |
| January 31 | 38°F | 22°F | 44% | 20% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 1, coldest night January 23)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 38°F | 24°F | 45% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 2 | 38°F | 24°F | 45% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 3 | 38°F | 24°F | 45% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 4 | 38°F | 23°F | 46% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 5 | 37°F | 23°F | 46% | 22% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 6 | 37°F | 23°F | 46% | 22% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 7 | 37°F | 23°F | 46% | 22% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 8 | 37°F | 23°F | 46% | 22% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 9 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 22% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 10 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 22% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 11 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 22% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 12 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 22% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 13 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 14 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 15 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 16 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 17 | 37°F | 22°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 18 | 37°F | 21°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 19 | 37°F | 21°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 20 | 37°F | 21°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 21 | 37°F | 21°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 22 | 37°F | 21°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 23 | 37°F | 21°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 24 | 37°F | 21°F | 46% | 21% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 25 | 37°F | 21°F | 45% | 21% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 26 | 37°F | 21°F | 45% | 21% | 10 h |
| January 27 | 37°F | 21°F | 45% | 21% | 10 h |
| January 28 | 37°F | 21°F | 45% | 21% | 10 h |
| January 29 | 37°F | 21°F | 45% | 21% | 10 h |
| January 30 | 38°F | 22°F | 44% | 20% | 10 h |
| January 31 | 38°F | 22°F | 44% | 20% | 10 h 10 min |
- Normal high
- 37°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 22°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 3.00 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 150.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 9.5 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 25
- Daylight
- 9 h 20 min to 10 h 10 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 57%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014821; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Columbus in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 46% on average, highest around January 11 (46%). In all, 3.00 in falls on 15 days of a normal January, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal January in Columbus, 25 nights fall to freezing, 11 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 9.5 inches.
Snow falls on 9 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 11 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014821.
How humid and windy is Columbus in January?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 34°F with 61% relative humidity and a dew point of 22°F; at 6 a.m. it is 26°F with 78% humidity. The wind averages 8.8 mph, most often from the west-southwest in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 26°F | 20°F | 78% | 7.6 mph | 31% |
| 9 a.m. | 27°F | 21°F | 77% | 8.8 mph | 18% |
| noon | 32°F | 22°F | 66% | 10.6 mph | 18% |
| 3 p.m. | 34°F | 22°F | 61% | 10.8 mph | – |
| 6 p.m. | 33°F | 22°F | 64% | 9.3 mph | 24% |
| 9 p.m. | 30°F | 22°F | 71% | 7.9 mph | 33% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014821. 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 Columbus?
The warmest January temperature on Columbus's official record (since 1878) is 74°F, on January 25, 1950; the coldest is −22°F, on January 19, 1994. The wettest January brought 10.71 in (1937); the snowiest, 34.4 inches (1978).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 29.6°F: 2021 32.1°F (+2.5), 2022 25.3°F (−4.3), 2023 37.4°F (+7.8), 2024 31.7°F (+2.1), 2025 23.7°F (−5.9), 2026 24.2°F (−5.4). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32.1°F | +2.5°F | 2.25 in |
| 2022 | 25.3°F | −4.3°F | 2.61 in |
| 2023 | 37.4°F | +7.8°F | 4.16 in |
| 2024 | 31.7°F | +2.1°F | 4.81 in |
| 2025 | 23.7°F | −5.9°F | 1.09 in |
| 2026 | 24.2°F | −5.4°F | 1.63 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record CMHthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014821. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Columbus compare across Ohio?
Across the 99 places PlainClimate covers in Ohio, January normal highs run from 32°F in Montpelier to 41°F in Portsmouth; Columbus's is 37°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.