Eau Claire weather in January

In January, Eau Claire sees average daytime highs of 24°F and overnight lows near 8°F, with 1.2 in of precipitation across 6.8 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 42 min at the start of January to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Eau Claire's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Eau Claire's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.2 in
6.8 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:46 AM – 4:44 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
8 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
1.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Eau Claire is city in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties in Wisconsin, United States, that is the county seat of Eau Claire County.

Density
766/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 24°F through the month.

A typical January day in Eau Claire reaches about 24°F in the afternoon and slips back to 8°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°F and 37°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
12511
22510
32510
42510
52410
6249
7249
8249
9249
10248
11248
12248
13238
14238
15238
16238
17238
18237
19237
20237
21248
22248
23248
24248
25248
26248
27248
28258
29258
30258
31259

How January really feels in Eau Claire

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.

Eau Claire 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
Jan24° / 1.26.86.790.0
Feb29° / 12°1.15.75.310.10.0
Mar41° / 24°2.18.54.511.60.6
Apr55° / 36°3.511.52.613.23.4
May67° / 48°4.312.80.114.65.7
Jun77° / 58°4.512.1015.36.4
Jul80° / 62°3.310.60156.5
Aug78° / 60°4.010013.96.8
Sep71° / 52°3.39.7012.36.7
Oct57° / 39°2.990.510.74.0
Nov41° / 27°2.16.93.69.40.5
Dec29° / 15°1.56.96.28.70.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23268
33268
43367
53367
63367
73268
83268
93268
103367
113367
123367
133367
143268
153268
163268
173268
183268
193268
203268
213367
223268
233268
243268
253268
263367
273466
283466
293466
303565
313466

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Eau Claire gets around 1.2 in of rain and snow over 6.8 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 22% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12119
22119
32119
42119
52119
62120
72120
82120
92121
102121
112121
122122
132222
142222
152223
162223
172324
182324
192324
202324
212324
222324
232323
242323
252323
262223
272222
282222
292121
302121
312020

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 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
277light breeze
287light breeze
297light breeze
307light breeze
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min at the start of January to 9 h 30 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 7:49 AM to 7:35 AM, and sunset from 4:29 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:494:29
28.77:494:30
38.77:504:31
48.77:504:31
58.77:494:32
68.77:494:33
78.87:494:34
88.87:494:35
98.87:494:36
108.87:494:37
118.87:484:38
128.97:484:40
138.97:484:41
148.97:474:42
158.97:474:43
169.07:464:44
179.07:464:45
189.07:454:47
199.07:454:48
209.17:444:49
219.17:444:50
229.17:434:52
239.27:424:53
249.27:414:54
259.27:414:55
269.37:404:57
279.37:394:58
289.47:384:59
299.47:375:01
309.47:365:02
319.57:355:04

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.41 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.79 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
232.0Dim
242.0Dim
252.0Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Eau Claire?

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 Eau Claire.

What to pack for Eau Claire in January

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

In January, Eau Claire sees daytime highs around 24°F and nights near 8°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Eau Claire in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Eau Claire peaks around June 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 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 16UV 9Jan 12UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Eau Claire?

Eau Claire sits at 44.8°N, 91.5°W, 787 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Menomonie, 21 mi away.

Topography around Eau Claire

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Eau Claire has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 ft around an average of 850 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 472 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,099 ft.

The land around Eau Claire is covered by trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 2 miles, trees (45%) and cropland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
305 ft
10 miles
472 ft
50 miles
1,099 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Menomonie 21 mi · Winona 53 mi · Red Wing 53 mi · River Falls 55 mi · Onalaska 65 mi · Marshfield 66 mi · Stillwater 66 mi · Hastings 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 Eau Claire (44.8113°, -91.4985°, elevation 787 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).