Bay City weather in January

In January, Bay City sees average daytime highs of 30°F and overnight lows near 17°F, with 2.2 in of precipitation across 9.2 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bay City's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bay City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
12th warmest
Overnight low
17°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.2 in
9.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
8:12 AM – 5:18 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Bay City is city in Bay County, Michigan, USA.

Density
1,169/km²
people per km²
Founded
1837

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 30°F through the month.

A typical January day in Bay City reaches about 30°F in the afternoon and slips back to 17°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°F and 43°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)
13220
23120
33119
43119
53119
63119
73118
83018
93018
103017
113017
123017
132916
142916
152916
162916
172915
182915
192915
202915
212915
222915
232915
242915
252915
262915
272915
282915
292915
302915
313015

How January really feels in Bay City

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.

Bay City 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
Jan30° / 17°2.29.26.89.10.0
Feb32° / 17°1.87.25.810.20.0
Mar43° / 25°2.28.94.111.60.7
Apr56° / 37°3.510.81.813.23.6
May67° / 48°3.611.4014.55.9
Jun77° / 58°3.510.6015.26.6
Jul81° / 62°3.010.5014.96.4
Aug79° / 60°3.010.3013.86.7
Sep72° / 53°2.89.1012.36.8
Oct59° / 42°2.910.10.210.84.5
Nov46° / 32°2.48.929.51.2
Dec35° / 23°2.195.88.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% 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 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22080
32080
41981
51981
62080
72080
82080
91981
101981
111981
122080
132080
142179
152080
162080
172080
182080
192080
202080
212179
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
272179
282278
292377
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bay City gets around 2.2 in of rain and snow over 9.2 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 29% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13019
23019
33119
43120
53220
63221
73221
83322
93322
103222
113222
123222
133122
143122
153122
163022
173022
182922
192922
202822
212822
222722
232722
242622
252622
262622
272622
282522
292522
302522
312522

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.

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 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:15 AM to 8:01 AM, and sunset from 5:03 PM to 5:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.88:155:03
28.88:155:04
38.88:155:05
48.88:155:05
58.98:155:06
68.98:155:07
78.98:155:08
88.98:145:09
98.98:145:10
109.08:145:11
119.08:145:12
129.08:145:13
139.08:135:14
149.08:135:15
159.18:125:17
169.18:125:18
179.18:125:19
189.18:115:20
199.28:115:21
209.28:105:22
219.28:095:24
229.38:095:25
239.38:085:26
249.38:075:27
259.48:075:29
269.48:065:30
279.48:055:31
289.58:045:32
299.58:035:34
309.58:025:35
319.68:015:36

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
242.0Dim
252.0Moderate
262.0Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Bay City?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bay City.

What to pack for Bay City in January

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

In January, Bay City sees daytime highs around 30°F and nights near 17°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Bay City in January

The nearest coast averages about 35°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in February near 33°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 12 to Sep 9 — about 2 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan35Bracing
Feb33Bracing
Mar34Bracing
Apr39Bracing
May48Bracing
Jun60Cool
Jul70Refreshing
Aug72Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov45Bracing
Dec39Bracing

UV index in Bay City 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 Bay City peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 19UV 9Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bay City?

Bay City sits at 43.6°N, 83.9°W, 597 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Saginaw Township North, 11 mi away.

Topography around Bay City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bay City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 85 ft around an average of 597 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 686 ft.

The land around Bay City is covered by artificial surfaces (41%), trees (27%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (47%) and water (22%) within 10 miles, and cropland (41%) and trees (36%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
85 ft
10 miles
164 ft
50 miles
686 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Saginaw Township North 11 mi · Saginaw 12 mi · Midland 18 mi · Flint 42 mi · Burton 43 mi · Mount Pleasant 44 mi · Haslett 64 mi · Okemos 66 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 Bay City (43.5945°, -83.8889°, elevation 597 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).