Iowa City weather in January: Iowa City, Iowa: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Iowa City in January has a normal high of 31°F and a normal low of 15°F, a daily mean of 23°F, holding near 31°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 6 days in a normal January, 1.04 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −1°C and low of −10°C, 26 mm of precipitation in January.
- NOAA stationIowa City Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00014937
- Location41.63°N 91.54°W
- Elevation650 ft (198 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population76,710
- Jan 31° 15°
- Feb 36° 19°
- Mar 50° 30°
- Apr 63° 40°
- May 73° 52°
- Jun 83° 62°
- Jul 86° 66°
- Aug 84° 63°
- Sep 78° 54°
- Oct 64° 42°
- Nov 49° 30°
- Dec 36° 20°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Iowa City in January?
The normal high is 31°F and the normal low 15°F, for a daily mean of 22.8°F. January is 5.4°F cooler than December and 4.2°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Iowa City and the 12th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 1°F, from 32°F on January 1 to 31°F on January 31. 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 18°F and 28°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 24%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 32°F | 16°F | 24% | 9% |
| January 8 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% |
| January 15 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% |
| January 22 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% |
| January 31 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 1, coldest night January 19)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 32°F | 16°F | 24% | 9% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 2 | 32°F | 16°F | 24% | 9% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 3 | 32°F | 16°F | 24% | 9% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 4 | 31°F | 16°F | 24% | 9% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 5 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 6 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 7 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 8 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 9 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 10 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 11 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 12 | 31°F | 15°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 13 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 14 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 15 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 16 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 17 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 18 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 19 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 20 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 21 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 22 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 23 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 24 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 25 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 26 | 31°F | 14°F | 22% | 9% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 27 | 31°F | 14°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 28 | 31°F | 14°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 29 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 30 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 10 h |
| January 31 | 31°F | 15°F | 23% | 9% | 10 h |
- Normal high
- 31°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 15°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 1.04 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 60.01 inch or more
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 29
- 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 USW00014937; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in Iowa City in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 23% on average, highest around January 1 (24%). In all, 1.04 in falls on 6 days of a normal January.
In a normal January in Iowa City, 29 nights fall to freezing and 16 days stay below freezing all day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014937.
What are the records for January in Iowa City?
The warmest January temperature on this station's record (since 1948) is 65°F, on January 8, 2003; the coldest is −28°F, on January 31, 1996. The wettest January brought 3.32 in (1950); the snowiest, 13.7 inches (1949).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 22.8°F: 2021 24.8°F (+2.0), 2022 16.4°F (−6.4), 2023 27.7°F (+4.9), 2024 22.7°F (−0.1), 2025 20.8°F (−2.0), 2026 20.5°F (−2.3). 2 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24.8°F | +2.0°F | 1.48 in |
| 2022 | 16.4°F | −6.4°F | 0.42 in |
| 2023 | 27.7°F | +4.9°F | 1.56 in |
| 2024 | 22.7°F | −0.1°F | 1.83 in |
| 2025 | 20.8°F | −2.0°F | 0.65 in |
| 2026 | 20.5°F | −2.3°F | 0.54 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00014937; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014937. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Iowa City 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; Iowa City's is 31°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.