Mason City weather in January: Mason City, Iowa: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Mason City in January has a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 7°F, a daily mean of 16°F, holding near 24°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 8 days in a normal January, 0.89 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −4°C and low of −14°C, 23 mm of precipitation and 29 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationMason City Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00014940
- Location43.15°N 93.33°W
- Elevation1,225 ft (373 m)
- From the center6 miles
- Population26,948
- Jan 24° 7°
- Feb 29° 11°
- Mar 42° 24°
- Apr 58° 35°
- May 70° 47°
- Jun 80° 57°
- Jul 83° 61°
- Aug 80° 58°
- Sep 74° 49°
- Oct 60° 37°
- Nov 44° 24°
- Dec 30° 14°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Mason City in January?
The normal high is 24°F and the normal low 7°F, for a daily mean of 15.7°F. January is 5.9°F cooler than December and 4.3°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Mason City and the 12th wettest, and the snowiest. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 5.3°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 10°F and 21°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 27%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 25°F | 9°F | 26% | 11% |
| January 8 | 24°F | 8°F | 26% | 11% |
| January 15 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% |
| January 22 | 24°F | 6°F | 27% | 11% |
| January 31 | 25°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 1, coldest night January 20)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 25°F | 9°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h |
| January 2 | 25°F | 9°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h |
| January 3 | 25°F | 9°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h |
| January 4 | 25°F | 9°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 5 | 25°F | 8°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 6 | 24°F | 8°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 7 | 24°F | 8°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 8 | 24°F | 8°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 9 | 24°F | 8°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 10 | 24°F | 7°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 11 | 24°F | 7°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 12 | 24°F | 7°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 13 | 24°F | 7°F | 26% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 14 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 15 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 16 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 17 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 18 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 19 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 20 | 24°F | 6°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 21 | 24°F | 6°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 22 | 24°F | 6°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 23 | 24°F | 6°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 24 | 24°F | 6°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 25 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 26 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 27 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 28 | 24°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 29 | 25°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 30 | 25°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 31 | 25°F | 7°F | 27% | 11% | 9 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 24°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 7°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 0.89 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 80.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 11.3 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 31
- Daylight
- 9 h to 9 h 50 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 70%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014940; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Mason City in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 27% on average, highest around January 31 (27%). In all, 0.89 in falls on 8 days of a normal January.
In a normal January in Mason City, 31 nights fall to freezing, 22 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 11.3 inches.
Snow falls on 8 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 24 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014940.
How humid and windy is Mason City in January?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 23°F with 74% relative humidity and a dew point of 16°F; at 6 a.m. it is 14°F with 84% humidity. The wind averages 12.1 mph, most often from the west-northwest in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 14°F | 10°F | 84% | 11.4 mph | 48% |
| 9 a.m. | 15°F | 11°F | 82% | 11.9 mph | – |
| noon | 21°F | 14°F | 76% | 13.5 mph | 47% |
| 3 p.m. | 23°F | 16°F | 74% | 13.7 mph | 44% |
| 6 p.m. | 20°F | 15°F | 80% | 11.8 mph | 45% |
| 9 p.m. | 18°F | 13°F | 83% | 11.9 mph | 48% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014940. 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 Mason City?
The warmest January temperature on this station's record (since 1948) is 62°F, on January 26, 2002; the coldest is −31°F, on January 16, 2009. The wettest January brought 2.45 in (1982); the snowiest, 28.2 inches (1999).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 15.7°F: 2021 21.0°F (+5.3), 2022 10.1°F (−5.6), 2023 18.5°F (+2.8), 2024 19.2°F (+3.5), 2025 16.8°F (+1.1), 2026 14.5°F (−1.2). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21.0°F | +5.3°F | 0.70 in |
| 2022 | 10.1°F | −5.6°F | 0.89 in |
| 2023 | 18.5°F | +2.8°F | 2.09 in |
| 2024 | 19.2°F | +3.5°F | 0.87 in |
| 2025 | 16.8°F | +1.1°F | 0.00 in |
| 2026 | 14.5°F | −1.2°F | 0.99 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00014940; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014940. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Mason 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; Mason City's is 24°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.