Climate averages 1991–2020
Iowa City weather
in January.
A freezing month with light precipitation: the coolest and the driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
January is a freezing month in Iowa City: daytime highs average -1.5°C and nights cool to about -10.3°C. By daytime temperature it is the coolest month of the year.
Expect about 39 mm of precipitation on roughly 7 days, which makes January a month with light precipitation (the driest month of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 9 h 32 min on an average January day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Cedar Rapids (40 km away). In January its highs average -2.3°C, 0.8°C cooler than Iowa City, with 38 mm of precipitation.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Iowa City ranks 478th of 498 for the warmest January highs and 90th of 498 for the driest January (precipitation, lowest first). The mean January high of those 498 cities is 9.5°C; Iowa City is 11.0°C cooler than that mean.
From January to February, average highs rise by 2.7°C to 1.1°C, and monthly precipitation rises from 39 mm to 46 mm.
The annual picture
January in context
Monthly precipitation
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Iowa City climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Precipitation mm/month | Wet days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January, selected | -1.5°C-10.3°C | -10.3°C | 39 | 7.1 | 9.510 h |
| February | 1.1°C-8.2°C | -8.2°C | 46 | 6.5 | 10.611 h |
| March | 8.7°C-1.7°C | -1.7°C | 69 | 9.1 | 11.912 h |
| April | 15.5°C4.9°C | 4.9°C | 111 | 11.8 | 13.313 h |
| May | 21.4°C11.4°C | 11.4°C | 123 | 13.4 | 14.515 h |
| June | 26.3°C17.0°C | 17.0°C | 128 | 11.7 | 15.115 h |
| July | 28.2°C19.3°C | 19.3°C | 95 | 9.5 | 14.915 h |
| August | 27.4°C18.4°C | 18.4°C | 96 | 9.1 | 13.914 h |
| September | 23.7°C14.2°C | 14.2°C | 99 | 8.1 | 12.513 h |
| October | 16.6°C7.6°C | 7.6°C | 74 | 8.6 | 11.111 h |
| November | 8.7°C0.3°C | 0.3°C | 59 | 7.6 | 9.910 h |
| December | 1.4°C-6.3°C | -6.3°C | 49 | 6.9 | 9.29 h |
Precipitation (rain or snow, as water) is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A wet day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
January in nearby cities
- Cedar Rapids in JanuaryUnited States · 40 kmHigh -2.3°C · Low -11.1°C · 38 mm precipitation
- Davenport in JanuaryUnited States · 81 kmHigh -0.9°C · Low -9.3°C · 46 mm precipitation
- Des Moines in JanuaryUnited States · 173 kmHigh -1.3°C · Low -10.1°C · 31 mm precipitation
- Peoria (Illinois), United States in JanuaryUnited States · 195 kmHigh 0.6°C · Low -7.4°C · 53 mm precipitation
- Rockford in JanuaryUnited States · 213 kmHigh -1.8°C · Low -10.0°C · 48 mm precipitation
- Madison in JanuaryUnited States · 235 kmHigh -2.9°C · Low -11.6°C · 41 mm precipitation
- Bloomington (Illinois), United States in JanuaryUnited States · 250 kmHigh 0.7°C · Low -7.3°C · 58 mm precipitation
- Springfield (Illinois), United States in JanuaryUnited States · 261 kmHigh 1.9°C · Low -6.2°C · 61 mm precipitation
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Iowa City) is explained once on the Iowa City year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.