Dubuque weather in January: Dubuque, Iowa: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January

Dubuque in January has a normal high of 27°F and a normal low of 11°F, a daily mean of 19°F, holding near 27°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 9 days in a normal January, 1.32 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)

In metric: a normal high of −3°C and low of −12°C, 34 mm of precipitation and 27 cm of snow in January.

  • NOAA stationDubuque Regional Airport
  • Station IDUSW00094908
  • Location42.40°N 90.70°W
  • Elevation1,056 ft (322 m)
  • Population58,987
  1. Jan 27° 11°
  2. Feb 31° 15°
  3. Mar 44° 26°
  4. Apr 58° 37°
  5. May 69° 49°
  6. Jun 79° 59°
  7. Jul 82° 62°
  8. Aug 80° 60°
  9. Sep 73° 52°
  10. Oct 60° 40°
  11. Nov 45° 28°
  12. Dec 32° 17°

Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.

How warm is Dubuque in January?

The normal high is 27°F and the normal low 11°F, for a daily mean of 18.8°F. January is 5.7°F cooler than December and 4.1°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Dubuque and the 12th wettest, and the snowiest. Across the month the normal high falls 1°F, from 28°F on January 1 to 27°F on January 31. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 5.1°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 14°F and 24°F.

Dubuque in January, day by day: normal high and low

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 29%).

Normal high and low on five days of January, with the chance of precipitation
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 in
January 128°F13°F29%12%
January 827°F12°F29%12%
January 1526°F11°F29%13%
January 2226°F10°F29%13%
January 3127°F11°F29%14%
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 1, coldest night January 19)
Dubuque: NOAA 1991-2020 daily normals for each day of January
DayHighLowChance of 0.01 inChance of 0.10 inDaylight
January 128°F13°F29%12%9 h 10 min
January 227°F13°F29%12%9 h 10 min
January 327°F13°F29%12%9 h 10 min
January 427°F12°F29%12%9 h 10 min
January 527°F12°F29%12%9 h 10 min
January 627°F12°F29%12%9 h 10 min
January 727°F12°F29%12%9 h 10 min
January 827°F12°F29%12%9 h 10 min
January 927°F12°F29%12%9 h 20 min
January 1026°F11°F29%12%9 h 20 min
January 1126°F11°F29%12%9 h 20 min
January 1226°F11°F29%12%9 h 20 min
January 1326°F11°F29%12%9 h 20 min
January 1426°F11°F29%12%9 h 20 min
January 1526°F11°F29%13%9 h 20 min
January 1626°F11°F29%13%9 h 30 min
January 1726°F11°F29%13%9 h 30 min
January 1826°F11°F29%13%9 h 30 min
January 1926°F10°F29%13%9 h 30 min
January 2026°F10°F29%13%9 h 30 min
January 2126°F10°F29%13%9 h 30 min
January 2226°F10°F29%13%9 h 40 min
January 2326°F10°F29%13%9 h 40 min
January 2426°F10°F29%14%9 h 40 min
January 2526°F10°F29%14%9 h 40 min
January 2626°F11°F29%14%9 h 40 min
January 2726°F11°F29%14%9 h 50 min
January 2827°F11°F29%14%9 h 50 min
January 2927°F11°F29%14%9 h 50 min
January 3027°F11°F29%14%9 h 50 min
January 3127°F11°F29%14%10 h
Normal high
27°FJanuary average
Normal low
11°FJanuary average
Precipitation
1.32 inmonth total
Days with precipitation
90.01 inch or more
Snowfall
10.7 inmonth total
Nights at 32°F or colder
30
Daylight
9 h 10 min to 10 hJanuary 1 to January 31
Sunshine
65%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094908; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.

Does it rain or snow in Dubuque in January?

On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 29% on average, highest around January 10 (29%). In all, 1.32 in falls on 9 days of a normal January.

In a normal January in Dubuque, 30 nights fall to freezing, 21 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 10.7 inches.

Snow falls on 8 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 21 days.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094908.

How humid and windy is Dubuque in January?

At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 25°F with 69% relative humidity and a dew point of 16°F; at 6 a.m. it is 17°F with 83% humidity. The wind averages 10.7 mph, most often from the west in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.

A normal January day at the station, hour by hour (local standard time)
TimeTemperatureDew pointHumidityWindClear or few clouds
6 a.m.17°F13°F83%9.9 mph48%
9 a.m.18°F13°F82%10.7 mph–
noon23°F15°F72%12.0 mph43%
3 p.m.25°F16°F69%12.2 mph53%
6 p.m.22°F15°F75%10.4 mph45%
9 p.m.20°F15°F79%10.6 mph–

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00094908. 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 Dubuque?

The warmest January temperature on Dubuque's official record (since 1874) is 63°F, on January 1, 1897; the coldest is −32°F, on January 7, 1887. The wettest January brought 6.04 in (1960); the snowiest, 34.4 inches (1929).

The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 18.8°F: 2021 22.0°F (+3.2), 2022 13.2°F (−5.7), 2023 25.3°F (+6.5), 2024 21.3°F (+2.5), 2025 18.5°F (−0.3), 2026 17.3°F (−1.5). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.

Dubuque: January in recent years against the 1991-2020 normal
JanuaryMeanAgainst normalPrecip.
202122.0°F+3.2°F1.48 in
202213.2°F−5.7°F0.50 in
202325.3°F+6.5°F2.38 in
202421.3°F+2.5°F3.30 in
202518.5°F−0.3°F0.10 in
202617.3°F−1.5°F1.04 in

Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record DBQthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094908. Records and recent months use complete months only.

How does January in Dubuque 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; Dubuque's is 27°F.

Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.

Other months and places