Ann Arbor weather in January

In January, Ann Arbor sees average daytime highs of 31°F and overnight lows near 19°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 9.7 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Ann Arbor's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ann Arbor's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
12th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
9.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:07 AM – 5:21 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Ann Arbor is county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States.

Density
1,561/km²
people per km²
Founded
1824

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°F through the month.

A typical January day in Ann Arbor reaches about 31°F in the afternoon and slips back to 19°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°F and 46°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13322
23321
33321
43321
53321
63320
73220
83220
93220
103219
113219
123119
133119
143119
153118
163118
173118
183118
193117
203117
213117
223117
233117
243117
253117
263117
273117
283117
293117
303118
313118

How January really feels in Ann Arbor

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Ann Arbor weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 19°2.49.76.19.30.0
Feb34° / 20°2.18.25.610.30.0
Mar45° / 28°2.59.73.611.61.0
Apr57° / 39°3.611.81.313.13.9
May68° / 49°3.912.5014.45.9
Jun78° / 59°3.710.50156.6
Jul82° / 63°3.310.8014.86.3
Aug80° / 61°3.310.3013.76.6
Sep73° / 54°2.78.6012.36.9
Oct60° / 43°2.79.30.210.84.9
Nov47° / 33°2.691.99.61.5
Dec36° / 25°2.394.690.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
21981
31981
41882
51882
61981
71981
81981
92080
101981
111981
122080
132179
142179
152179
162179
172080
182080
192179
202179
212179
222179
232278
242278
252278
262278
272377
282377
292377
302476
312575

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Ann Arbor gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 9.7 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 31% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13015
23116
33217
43217
53318
63419
73419
83420
93420
103420
113420
123421
133321
143321
153320
163220
173120
183120
193020
203020
212920
222920
232820
242820
252820
262820
272820
282820
292820
302720
312720

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 9 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:09 AM to 7:57 AM, and sunset from 5:07 PM to 5:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.08:095:07
29.08:095:08
39.08:105:08
49.08:105:09
59.08:105:10
69.08:105:11
79.08:105:12
89.18:095:13
99.18:095:14
109.18:095:15
119.18:095:16
129.18:095:17
139.28:085:18
149.28:085:19
159.28:085:20
169.28:075:21
179.38:075:22
189.38:065:23
199.38:065:25
209.38:055:26
219.48:055:27
229.48:045:28
239.48:045:29
249.58:035:30
259.58:025:32
269.58:025:33
279.68:015:34
289.68:005:35
299.67:595:37
309.77:585:38
319.77:575:39

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.81 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
222.0Dim
232.0Moderate
242.0Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Ann Arbor?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ann Arbor.

What to pack for Ann Arbor in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Ann Arbor sees daytime highs around 31°F and nights near 19°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Ann Arbor in January

The nearest coast averages about 34°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 34 mi away) is warmest in August at about 75°F and coldest in February near 33°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 20 to Sep 20 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan34Bracing
Feb33Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May56Bracing
Jun67Cool
Jul75Refreshing
Aug75Warm
Sep70Refreshing
Oct58Bracing
Nov46Bracing
Dec38Bracing

UV index in Ann Arbor in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ann Arbor peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Ann Arbor in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Ann Arbor is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1116 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ann Arbor?

Ann Arbor sits at 42.3°N, 83.7°W, 883 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ypsilanti, 6.8 mi away.

Topography around Ann Arbor

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Ann Arbor.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ann Arbor has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 295 ft around an average of 883 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 436 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 945 ft.

The land around Ann Arbor is covered by trees (60%) and artificial surfaces (30%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and grassland (24%) within 10 miles, and trees (40%) and cropland (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
295 ft
10 miles
436 ft
50 miles
945 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Ypsilanti 6.8 mi · Canton 14 mi · Westland 17 mi · Romulus 18 mi · Wayne 18 mi · Novi 19 mi · Livonia 21 mi · Garden City 21 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Ann Arbor (42.2776°, -83.7409°, elevation 883 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).