Jamestown weather in January

In January, Jamestown sees average daytime highs of 18°F and overnight lows near 2°F, with 0.7 in of precipitation across 4.7 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Jamestown's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jamestown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.7 in
4.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:23 AM – 5:06 PM
Cloud cover
68%
11th clearest
Wind
11 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Jamestown is seat of Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States.

Density
462/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

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 18°F through the month.

A typical January day in Jamestown reaches about 18°F in the afternoon and slips back to 2°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°F and 36°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

-20°20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
1184
2183
3183
4173
5173
6172
7172
8172
9172
10172
11172
12171
13171
14171
15171
16172
17172
18172
19172
20182
21182
22182
23183
24183
25193
26193
27193
28194
29194
30194
31204

How January really feels in Jamestown

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.

Jamestown 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
Jan18° / 0.74.75.28.80.0
Feb22° / 0.74.84.9100.0
Mar34° / 18°1.25.84.111.60.0
Apr51° / 31°1.87.82.713.32.6
May65° / 44°3.210.80.414.85.7
Jun74° / 55°4.511.6015.66.5
Jul79° / 59°3.69.7015.37.0
Aug78° / 56°2.98.50147.3
Sep69° / 47°2.57.4012.46.9
Oct54° / 35°2.16.91.310.63.5
Nov37° / 20°1.04.94.19.20.1
Dec23° / 0.95.15.48.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23466
33466
43466
53565
63565
73565
83565
93565
103565
113565
123565
133466
143466
153466
163367
173367
183367
193268
203268
213268
223268
233169
243169
253169
263268
273367
283367
293466
303466
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Jamestown gets around 0.7 in of rain and snow over 4.7 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 15% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11820
21820
31720
41720
51719
61719
71719
81719
91718
101718
111718
121718
131718
141718
151719
161719
171718
181618
191618
201518
211517
221417
231416
241316
251316
261315
271215
281215
291215
301214
311214

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, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 12 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
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:26 AM to 8:10 AM, and sunset from 4:50 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:264:50
28.48:274:50
38.48:274:51
48.48:264:52
58.48:264:53
68.58:264:54
78.58:264:55
88.58:264:56
98.58:264:57
108.68:254:58
118.68:255:00
128.68:255:01
138.68:245:02
148.78:245:03
158.78:235:04
168.78:235:06
178.78:225:07
188.88:215:08
198.88:215:09
208.88:205:11
218.98:195:12
228.98:195:13
239.08:185:15
249.08:175:16
259.08:165:18
269.18:155:19
279.18:145:21
289.18:135:22
299.28:125:23
309.28:115:25
319.38:105:26

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
252.0Dim
262.0Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Jamestown

In seasonPeak

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

Jamestown's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Jamestown?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Jamestown.

What to pack for Jamestown in January

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

In January, Jamestown sees daytime highs around 18°F and nights near 2°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Jamestown 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 Jamestown peaks around June 19 at about 8 (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 19UV 8Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Jamestown 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 Jamestown is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (October, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1215 µg/m³Oct 205 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May10Good
Jun9Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct5Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Jamestown?

Jamestown sits at 46.9°N, 98.7°W, 1,407 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Fargo, 85 mi away.

Topography around Jamestown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Jamestown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft around an average of 1,457 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,135 ft.

The land around Jamestown is covered by grassland (39%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, cropland (66%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and cropland (64%) and grassland (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
141 ft
10 miles
259 ft
50 miles
1,135 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: West Fargo 85 mi · Fargo 91 mi · Moorhead 91 mi · Bismarck 98 mi · Aberdeen 101 mi · Mandan 103 mi · Grand Forks 105 mi · Minot 151 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 Jamestown (46.9105°, -98.7084°, elevation 1,407 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).