Great Falls weather in January: Great Falls, Montana: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Great Falls in January has a normal high of 35°F and a normal low of 15°F, a daily mean of 25°F, holding near 35°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 7 days in a normal January, 0.55 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 2°C and low of −9°C, 14 mm of precipitation and 23 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationGreat Falls Airport
- Station IDUSW00024143
- Location47.47°N 111.38°W
- Elevation3,664 ft (1,117 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population60,013
- Jan 35° 15°
- Feb 37° 15°
- Mar 46° 22°
- Apr 55° 30°
- May 65° 38°
- Jun 73° 46°
- Jul 84° 51°
- Aug 83° 50°
- Sep 72° 43°
- Oct 57° 33°
- Nov 44° 24°
- Dec 36° 16°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Great Falls in January?
The normal high is 35°F and the normal low 15°F, for a daily mean of 25.2°F. January is 0.8°F cooler than December and 1.0°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Great Falls and the 11th wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 1°F, from 35°F on January 1 to 36°F on January 31. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 5.6°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 20°F and 31°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 25%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% |
| January 8 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% |
| January 15 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% |
| January 22 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% |
| January 31 | 36°F | 15°F | 25% | 7% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 31, coldest night January 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 30 min |
| January 2 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 30 min |
| January 3 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 30 min |
| January 4 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 30 min |
| January 5 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 30 min |
| January 6 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 7 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 8 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 9 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 10 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 11 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 40 min |
| January 12 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 13 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 14 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 15 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 16 | 35°F | 15°F | 23% | 6% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 17 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 6% | 8 h 50 min |
| January 18 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 6% | 9 h |
| January 19 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 6% | 9 h |
| January 20 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h |
| January 21 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h |
| January 22 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 23 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 24 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 25 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 26 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 27 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 28 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 29 | 36°F | 15°F | 24% | 7% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 30 | 36°F | 15°F | 25% | 7% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 31 | 36°F | 15°F | 25% | 7% | 9 h 30 min |
- Normal high
- 35°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 15°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 0.55 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 70.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 9.2 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 27
- Daylight
- 8 h 30 min to 9 h 30 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 71%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00024143; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Great Falls in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 24% on average, highest around January 31 (25%). In all, 0.55 in falls on 7 days of a normal January.
In a normal January in Great Falls, 27 nights fall to freezing, 10 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 9.2 inches.
Snow falls on 7 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 14 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00024143.
How humid and windy is Great Falls in January?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 34°F with 47% relative humidity and a dew point of 16°F; at 6 a.m. it is 24°F with 66% humidity. The wind averages 13.1 mph, most often from the 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. | 24°F | 14°F | 66% | 12.5 mph | 60% |
| 9 a.m. | 25°F | 15°F | 64% | 12.8 mph | 62% |
| noon | 32°F | 16°F | 50% | 15.5 mph | 61% |
| 3 p.m. | 34°F | 16°F | 47% | 14.9 mph | 60% |
| 6 p.m. | 28°F | 15°F | 58% | 12.2 mph | 60% |
| 9 p.m. | 26°F | 15°F | 63% | 12.1 mph | 64% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00024143. 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 Great Falls?
The warmest January temperature on Great Falls's official record (since 1891) is 67°F, on January 31, 1992; the coldest is −44°F, on January 10, 1909. The wettest January brought 2.05 in (1969); the snowiest, 24.0 inches (1913).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 25.2°F: 2021 31.3°F (+6.1), 2022 27.8°F (+2.6), 2023 29.9°F (+4.7), 2024 21.7°F (−3.5), 2025 22.1°F (−3.1), 2026 34.1°F (+8.9). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31.3°F | +6.1°F | 0.18 in |
| 2022 | 27.8°F | +2.6°F | 0.82 in |
| 2023 | 29.9°F | +4.7°F | 1.05 in |
| 2024 | 21.7°F | −3.5°F | 0.58 in |
| 2025 | 22.1°F | −3.1°F | 1.09 in |
| 2026 | 34.1°F | +8.9°F | 0.13 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record GTFthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00024143. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Great Falls compare across Montana?
Across the 141 places PlainClimate covers in Montana, January normal highs run from 20°F in Westby to 40°F in Nye; Great Falls's is 35°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.