Cedar Rapids weather in January

In January, Cedar Rapids sees average daytime highs of 28°F and overnight lows near 13°F, with 1.5 in of precipitation across 7 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 Cedar Rapids's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cedar Rapids's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
13°
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.5 in
7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:38 AM – 4:54 PM
Cloud cover
68%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Cedar Rapids is city in and seat of Linn County, Iowa, United States.

Density
699/km²
people per km²
Founded
1849

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 28°F through the month.

A typical January day in Cedar Rapids reaches about 28°F in the afternoon and slips back to 13°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°F and 43°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13015
23015
32915
42915
52914
62914
72914
82914
92913
102813
112813
122813
132813
142813
152812
162812
172812
182812
192712
202712
212712
222812
232812
242812
252812
262812
272812
282812
292813
302813
312813

How January really feels in Cedar Rapids

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.

Cedar Rapids weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 13°1.575.39.30.0
Feb33° / 17°1.66.34.410.30.0
Mar46° / 28°2.68.62.911.71.4
Apr60° / 40°4.411.80.913.14.4
May70° / 51°5.013.2014.36.0
Jun79° / 62°5.111.90156.3
Jul82° / 65°3.99.9014.76.2
Aug81° / 62°3.79.3013.76.8
Sep74° / 54°3.98.4012.37.1
Oct61° / 42°2.98.60.410.95.3
Nov47° / 30°2.37.41.69.61.5
Dec34° / 19°1.86.94.790.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23466
33565
43565
53565
63565
73565
83664
93664
103664
113664
123763
133763
143763
153664
163664
173664
183565
193565
203565
213565
223466
233466
243466
253466
263466
273466
283466
293466
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Cedar Rapids gets around 1.5 in of rain and snow over 7 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 23% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12214
22214
32314
42315
52315
62315
72316
82316
92316
102316
112317
122317
132317
142318
152318
162318
172419
182419
192319
202319
212319
222319
232318
242218
252218
262218
272218
282118
292117
302117
312117

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 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 7:40 AM to 7:28 AM, and sunset from 4:39 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:404:39
29.07:404:40
39.07:404:41
49.07:404:42
59.07:404:43
69.17:404:44
79.17:404:44
89.17:404:45
99.17:404:46
109.17:404:47
119.17:404:48
129.27:394:49
139.27:394:50
149.27:394:51
159.27:384:53
169.37:384:54
179.37:384:55
189.37:374:56
199.37:374:57
209.47:364:58
219.47:364:59
229.47:355:00
239.57:345:02
249.57:345:03
259.57:335:04
269.57:325:05
279.67:325:06
289.67:315:08
299.67:305:09
309.77:295:10
319.77:285:11

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.73 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
112.0Dim
122.0Dim
132.0Moderate
142.0Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Cedar Rapids?

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 Cedar Rapids.

What to pack for Cedar Rapids in January

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

In January, Cedar Rapids sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 13°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1916 µg/m³Oct 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cedar Rapids?

Cedar Rapids sits at 42.0°N, 91.6°W, 810 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Marion, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Cedar Rapids

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cedar Rapids has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 814 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 446 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 738 ft.

The land around Cedar Rapids is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (32%) within 2 miles, cropland (46%), trees (20%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (76%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
272 ft
10 miles
446 ft
50 miles
738 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Marion 3.1 mi · North Liberty 18 mi · Coralville 23 mi · Iowa City 25 mi · Waterloo 49 mi · Muscatine 51 mi · Cedar Falls 55 mi · Dubuque 60 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 Cedar Rapids (42.0083°, -91.6441°, elevation 810 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).