Bloomington weather in January

In January, Bloomington sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 19°F, with 2.3 in of precipitation across 8.3 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bloomington's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bloomington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
12th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.3 in
8.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:23 AM – 4:47 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Bloomington is city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States.

Density
1,110/km²
people per km²
Founded
1857

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 33°F through the month.

A typical January day in Bloomington reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 19°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°F and 49°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13521
23521
33521
43521
53421
63420
73420
83420
93420
103320
113319
123319
133319
143319
153319
163319
173319
183318
193318
203318
213318
223318
233319
243319
253319
263319
273319
283419
293419
303419
313419

How January really feels in Bloomington

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.

Bloomington weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°2.38.34.99.40.0
Feb38° / 22°2.17.44.110.40.0
Mar50° / 32°3.110.31.811.72.2
Apr62° / 43°4.4120.5134.9
May72° / 53°4.713.5014.26.1
Jun81° / 63°4.312.2014.86.1
Jul83° / 66°3.810.8014.65.7
Aug82° / 64°3.29.4013.66.5
Sep76° / 56°3.07.8012.37.2
Oct64° / 45°3.38.90.110.95.8
Nov50° / 34°3.08.41.19.72.3
Dec38° / 24°2.38.33.69.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23367
33367
43367
53367
63367
73367
83367
93466
103466
113466
123466
133466
143565
153565
163565
173565
183466
193466
203466
213466
223466
233466
243565
253565
263466
273466
283466
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bloomington gets around 2.3 in of rain and snow over 8.3 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 26% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12513
22513
32513
42514
52614
62614
72614
82614
92614
102714
112715
122715
132715
142715
152715
162715
172716
182716
192716
202716
212717
222717
232717
242717
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312517

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 10 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:25 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 4:34 PM to 5:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:254:34
29.27:254:35
39.27:254:35
49.27:254:36
59.27:254:37
69.27:254:38
79.27:254:39
89.27:254:40
99.37:254:41
109.37:254:41
119.37:244:42
129.37:244:43
139.37:244:44
149.47:244:45
159.47:234:46
169.47:234:47
179.47:234:49
189.57:224:50
199.57:224:51
209.57:214:52
219.57:214:53
229.67:204:54
239.67:204:55
249.67:194:56
259.67:194:57
269.77:184:59
279.77:175:00
289.77:165:01
299.87:165:02
309.87:155:03
319.87:145:05

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.4 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.05 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
122.0Dim
132.0Dim
142.0Moderate
152.0Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Bloomington?

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
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bloomington.

What to pack for Bloomington in January

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

In January, Bloomington sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 19°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Bloomington 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 Bloomington peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Bloomington 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 Bloomington is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1816 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bloomington?

Bloomington sits at 40.5°N, 89.0°W, 797 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Normal, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Bloomington

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bloomington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 ft around an average of 804 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 531 ft.

The land around Bloomington is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) within 10 miles, and cropland (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
154 ft
10 miles
276 ft
50 miles
531 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Normal 1.9 mi · Morton 26 mi · Washington 27 mi · East Peoria 34 mi · Peoria 34 mi · Pekin 34 mi · North Peoria 35 mi · Decatur 45 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 Bloomington (40.4842°, -88.9937°, elevation 797 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. 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).