Rochester weather in January: Rochester, Minnesota: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Rochester in January has a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 7°F, a daily mean of 15°F, holding near 23°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 9 days in a normal January, 0.99 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −5°C and low of −14°C, 25 mm of precipitation and 31 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationRochester International Airport
- Station IDUSW00014925
- Location43.90°N 92.49°W
- Elevation1,304 ft (398 m)
- Population123,624
- Jan 23° 7°
- Feb 27° 11°
- Mar 40° 23°
- Apr 55° 35°
- May 68° 47°
- Jun 78° 58°
- Jul 80° 61°
- Aug 78° 58°
- Sep 72° 50°
- Oct 58° 38°
- Nov 42° 26°
- Dec 28° 14°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Rochester in January?
The normal high is 23°F and the normal low 7°F, for a daily mean of 14.7°F. January is 6.1°F cooler than December and 4.0°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Rochester and the 12th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 1°F, from 24°F on January 1 to 23°F on January 31. 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 9°F and 20°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 31%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 24°F | 9°F | 30% | 11% |
| January 8 | 23°F | 8°F | 31% | 10% |
| January 15 | 22°F | 7°F | 30% | 10% |
| January 22 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% |
| January 31 | 23°F | 7°F | 29% | 10% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 1, coldest night January 21)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 24°F | 9°F | 30% | 11% | 9 h |
| January 2 | 23°F | 9°F | 30% | 11% | 9 h |
| January 3 | 23°F | 9°F | 30% | 11% | 9 h |
| January 4 | 23°F | 8°F | 30% | 11% | 9 h |
| January 5 | 23°F | 8°F | 30% | 11% | 9 h |
| January 6 | 23°F | 8°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h |
| January 7 | 23°F | 8°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h |
| January 8 | 23°F | 8°F | 31% | 10% | 9 h |
| January 9 | 23°F | 8°F | 31% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 10 | 22°F | 7°F | 31% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 11 | 22°F | 7°F | 31% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 12 | 22°F | 7°F | 31% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 13 | 22°F | 7°F | 31% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 14 | 22°F | 7°F | 31% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 15 | 22°F | 7°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 16 | 22°F | 7°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 17 | 22°F | 7°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 18 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 19 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 20 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 21 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 22 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 23 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 24 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 25 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 26 | 22°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 27 | 23°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 28 | 23°F | 6°F | 30% | 10% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 29 | 23°F | 6°F | 29% | 10% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 30 | 23°F | 7°F | 29% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 31 | 23°F | 7°F | 29% | 10% | 9 h 50 min |
- Normal high
- 23°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 7°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 0.99 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 90.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 12.2 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 31
- Daylight
- 9 h to 9 h 50 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 69%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00014925; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Rochester in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 30% on average, highest around January 8 (31%). In all, 0.99 in falls on 9 days of a normal January.
In a normal January in Rochester, 31 nights fall to freezing, 24 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 12.2 inches.
Snow falls on 9 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 25 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00014925.
How humid and windy is Rochester in January?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 21°F with 74% relative humidity and a dew point of 14°F; at 6 a.m. it is 14°F with 83% humidity. The wind averages 12.5 mph, most often from the west 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 | 9°F | 83% | 12.0 mph | 45% |
| 9 a.m. | 14°F | 10°F | 82% | 12.2 mph | 51% |
| noon | 19°F | 13°F | 76% | 13.4 mph | 44% |
| 3 p.m. | 21°F | 14°F | 74% | 13.5 mph | 49% |
| 6 p.m. | 18°F | 13°F | 79% | 12.1 mph | 46% |
| 9 p.m. | 16°F | 12°F | 81% | 12.6 mph | 52% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014925. 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 Rochester?
The warmest January temperature on Rochester's official record (since 1886) is 58°F, on January 25, 1944; the coldest is −42°F, on January 7, 1887. The wettest January brought 2.92 in (1888); the snowiest, 30.2 inches (1996).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 14.7°F: 2021 20.7°F (+6.0), 2022 9.4°F (−5.3), 2023 19.3°F (+4.6), 2024 19.3°F (+4.6), 2025 15.0°F (+0.3), 2026 13.0°F (−1.7). 4 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20.7°F | +6.0°F | 1.14 in |
| 2022 | 9.4°F | −5.3°F | 0.83 in |
| 2023 | 19.3°F | +4.6°F | 2.41 in |
| 2024 | 19.3°F | +4.6°F | 0.66 in |
| 2025 | 15.0°F | +0.3°F | 0.02 in |
| 2026 | 13.0°F | −1.7°F | 0.81 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record RSTthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00014925. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Rochester compare across Minnesota?
Across the 129 places PlainClimate covers in Minnesota, January normal highs run from 13°F in Hallock to 27°F in Winona; Rochester's is 23°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.