Detroit weather in January

In January, Detroit sees average daytime highs of 31°F and overnight lows near 20°F, with 2.5 in of precipitation across 10.2 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 12% 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 Detroit's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Detroit's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
12th warmest
Overnight low
20°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.5 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:05 AM – 5:18 PM
Cloud cover
77%
11th clearest
Wind
11 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Detroit is city in and county seat of Wayne County, and largest city in State of Michigan, United States.

Density
1,745/km²
people per km²
Founded
1701

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 Detroit reaches about 31°F in the afternoon and slips back to 20°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°F and 44°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 2°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13323
23323
33323
43322
53322
63222
73222
83222
93221
103221
113121
123121
133120
143120
153120
163120
173120
183119
193019
203019
213019
223019
233019
243119
253119
263119
273119
283119
293119
303119
313119

How January really feels in Detroit

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.

Detroit 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° / 20°2.510.25.99.30.0
Feb33° / 21°2.18.35.410.30.0
Mar43° / 29°2.69.63.811.60.6
Apr55° / 41°3.612113.13.4
May67° / 52°3.512.8014.45.7
Jun77° / 63°3.410.90156.6
Jul81° / 67°3.110.7014.86.4
Aug79° / 65°3.09.6013.76.8
Sep72° / 58°2.78.3012.37.0
Oct60° / 46°2.78.9010.84.8
Nov47° / 36°2.791.59.61.5
Dec36° / 27°2.59.14.190.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
31981
41981
52080
62080
72179
82080
91981
101981
112080
122080
132080
142179
152179
162179
172179
182278
192377
202377
212377
222377
232377
242377
252476
262476
272575
282575
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Detroit gets around 2.5 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 33% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13215
23316
33416
43417
53518
63618
73619
83619
93719
103620
113620
123620
133520
143520
153520
163420
173319
183319
193219
203119
213119
223019
233019
242919
252919
262919
272919
282920
292820
302820
312820

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 11 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light 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 8:07 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 5:04 PM to 5:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.08:075:04
29.08:075:05
39.08:075:06
49.08:075:06
59.08:075:07
69.08:075:08
79.08:075:09
89.18:075:10
99.18:075:11
109.18:065:12
119.18:065:13
129.18:065:14
139.28:065:15
149.28:055:16
159.28:055:17
169.28:055:18
179.38:045:19
189.38:045:20
199.38:035:22
209.38:035:23
219.48:025:24
229.48:025:25
239.48:015:26
249.58:005:28
259.58:005:29
269.57:595:30
279.67:585:31
289.67:575:32
299.67:575:34
309.77:565:35
319.77:555:36

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.48 kWh/m² to a high of 6.48 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.87 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
202.0Dim
212.0Moderate
222.0Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Detroit?

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 Detroit.

What to pack for Detroit in January

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

In January, Detroit sees daytime highs around 31°F and nights near 20°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 Detroit 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 9 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 33°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 2 to Sep 15 — about 2.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan34Bracing
Feb33Bracing
Mar34Bracing
Apr41Bracing
May52Bracing
Jun64Cool
Jul72Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct57Bracing
Nov47Bracing
Dec39Bracing

UV index in Detroit 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 Detroit 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
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Detroit 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 Detroit is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Oct 239 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Detroit?

Detroit sits at 42.3°N, 83.0°W, 600 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Windsor, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Detroit

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Detroit has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 604 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 ft.

The land around Detroit is covered by artificial surfaces (64%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (44%) and trees (24%) within 10 miles, and trees (28%), water (27%) and cropland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
200 ft
50 miles
915 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Windsor 2.5 mi · Hamtramck 4.3 mi · LaSalle 6.2 mi · Dearborn 6.8 mi · Tecumseh 8.1 mi · Lincoln Park 8.7 mi · Hazel Park 9.3 mi · Wyandotte 9.9 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 Detroit (42.3314°, -83.0457°, elevation 600 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).