Rockford weather in January: Rockford, Illinois: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Rockford in January has a normal high of 29°F and a normal low of 15°F, a daily mean of 22°F, holding near 29°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 10 days in a normal January, 1.60 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of −2°C and low of −10°C, 41 mm of precipitation and 28 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationRockford Greater Rockford Airport
- Station IDUSW00094822
- Location42.19°N 89.09°W
- Elevation730 ft (223 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population147,486
- Jan 29° 15°
- Feb 33° 18°
- Mar 47° 28°
- Apr 60° 39°
- May 71° 50°
- Jun 81° 60°
- Jul 84° 64°
- Aug 82° 62°
- Sep 75° 54°
- Oct 62° 42°
- Nov 47° 31°
- Dec 34° 20°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Rockford in January?
The normal high is 29°F and the normal low 15°F, for a daily mean of 21.8°F. January is 5.5°F cooler than December and 3.8°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Rockford and the 12th wettest, and the snowiest. Across the month the normal high falls 1°F, from 30°F on January 1 to 29°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 17°F and 27°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 32%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 30°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% |
| January 8 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 15% |
| January 15 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% |
| January 22 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% |
| January 31 | 29°F | 14°F | 31% | 13% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 1, coldest night January 22)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 30°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 2 | 30°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 3 | 30°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 4 | 30°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 5 | 30°F | 16°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 6 | 30°F | 15°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 7 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h 10 min |
| January 8 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 15% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 9 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 10 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 11 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 12 | 29°F | 15°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 13 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 14 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 15 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 16 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 17 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 18 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 19 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 20 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 21 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 22 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 23 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 24 | 29°F | 14°F | 32% | 14% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 25 | 29°F | 14°F | 31% | 14% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 26 | 29°F | 14°F | 31% | 14% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 27 | 29°F | 14°F | 31% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 28 | 29°F | 14°F | 31% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 29 | 29°F | 14°F | 31% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 30 | 29°F | 14°F | 31% | 13% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 31 | 29°F | 14°F | 31% | 13% | 10 h |
- Normal high
- 29°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 15°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 1.60 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 100.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 10.9 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 29
- Daylight
- 9 h 10 min to 10 hJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 66%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094822; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Rockford in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 32% on average, highest around January 10 (32%). In all, 1.60 in falls on 10 days of a normal January.
In a normal January in Rockford, 29 nights fall to freezing, 19 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 10.9 inches.
Snow falls on 8 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 20 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094822.
How humid and windy is Rockford in January?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 27°F with 66% relative humidity and a dew point of 17°F; at 6 a.m. it is 19°F with 80% humidity. The wind averages 9.5 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. | 19°F | 14°F | 80% | 8.3 mph | 32% |
| 9 a.m. | 21°F | 15°F | 78% | 9.6 mph | – |
| noon | 26°F | 17°F | 69% | 11.2 mph | 23% |
| 3 p.m. | 27°F | 17°F | 66% | 11.4 mph | – |
| 6 p.m. | 25°F | 17°F | 73% | 9.3 mph | 27% |
| 9 p.m. | 22°F | 16°F | 76% | 8.8 mph | 36% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00094822. 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 Rockford?
The warmest January temperature on Rockford's official record (since 1893) is 63°F, on January 31, 1989; the coldest is −31°F, on January 31, 2019. The wettest January brought 5.80 in (1946); the snowiest, 36.1 inches (1918).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 21.8°F: 2021 26.6°F (+4.8), 2022 16.8°F (−5.0), 2023 28.9°F (+7.1), 2024 23.4°F (+1.6), 2025 20.3°F (−1.5), 2026 19.1°F (−2.7). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 26.6°F | +4.8°F | 2.04 in |
| 2022 | 16.8°F | −5.0°F | 0.56 in |
| 2023 | 28.9°F | +7.1°F | 2.07 in |
| 2024 | 23.4°F | +1.6°F | 2.28 in |
| 2025 | 20.3°F | −1.5°F | 0.79 in |
| 2026 | 19.1°F | −2.7°F | 0.82 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record RFDthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094822. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Rockford compare across Illinois?
Across the 144 places PlainClimate covers in Illinois, January normal highs run from 27°F in Galena to 45°F in Anna; Rockford's is 29°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.