Cape Girardeau weather in January

In January, Cape Girardeau sees average daytime highs of 43°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation across 9.2 wet days and about 9.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 43°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Cape Girardeau's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cape Girardeau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
12th warmest
Overnight low
28°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.8 in
9.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:16 AM – 4:58 PM
Cloud cover
61%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Cape Girardeau is city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri.

Density
535/km²
people per km²
Founded
1793

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 43°F through the month.

A typical January day in Cape Girardeau reaches about 43°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°F and 59°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14429
24429
34429
44329
54329
64329
74328
84328
94328
104328
114328
124328
134328
144328
154328
164327
174327
184327
194327
204327
214327
224327
234328
244428
254428
264428
274428
284428
294428
304428
314528

How January really feels in Cape Girardeau

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Cape Girardeau weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 28°3.89.229.70.6
Feb48° / 31°3.48.21.710.61.8
Mar58° / 40°4.811.80.711.74.1
Apr68° / 49°5.311.1012.96.1
May77° / 60°4.712.30146.4
Jun85° / 68°3.510.1014.55.3
Jul88° / 72°3.310.1014.34.4
Aug87° / 69°2.88013.45.0
Sep81° / 61°3.27.6012.36.8
Oct69° / 50°3.97.90.1117.0
Nov56° / 39°4.18.70.5104.1
Dec46° / 31°3.78.91.39.51.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
44159
54060
64060
74060
84060
94060
104159
114159
124159
134159
144159
154258
164258
174258
184456
194456
204456
214555
224555
234555
244654
254654
264654
274555
284555
294555
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Cape Girardeau gets around 3.8 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 31% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1285
2295
3295
4295
5305
6305
7315
8316
9316
10316
11317
12317
13317
14317
15317
16317
17307
18307
19297
20297
21287
22287
23287
24287
25276
26276
27276
28276
29276
30266
31266

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1964
2964
3964
4964
5964
6964
7964
8973
9973
10973
11973
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 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 7:17 AM to 7:09 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:174:45
29.57:174:46
39.57:174:47
49.57:184:48
59.57:184:48
69.57:184:49
79.57:184:50
89.67:184:51
99.67:184:52
109.67:184:53
119.67:174:54
129.67:174:54
139.67:174:55
149.77:174:56
159.77:174:57
169.77:164:58
179.77:164:59
189.77:165:00
199.87:165:01
209.87:155:02
219.87:155:03
229.87:145:04
239.97:145:05
249.97:135:06
259.97:135:07
269.97:125:08
2710.07:125:09
2810.07:115:11
2910.07:105:12
3010.07:105:13
3110.17:095:14

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.99 kWh/m² to a high of 6.5 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.31 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.0Moderate
42.0Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Cape Girardeau

In seasonPeak

None of Cape Girardeau's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Cape Girardeau sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Cape Girardeau?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cape Girardeau.

What to pack for Cape Girardeau in January

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

In January, Cape Girardeau sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau peaks around June 21 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 10Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Nov 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cape Girardeau?

Cape Girardeau sits at 37.3°N, 89.5°W, 354 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sikeston, 30 mi away.

Topography around Cape Girardeau

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cape Girardeau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 371 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 869 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,375 ft.

The land around Cape Girardeau is covered by trees (36%) and cropland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and cropland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and cropland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
869 ft
50 miles
1,375 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sikeston 30 mi · Carbondale 34 mi · Marion 43 mi · Paducah 53 mi · Farmington 60 mi · Poplar Bluff 62 mi · Mount Vernon 78 mi · Murray 82 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 Cape Girardeau (37.3059°, -89.5182°, elevation 354 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).