Janesville weather in January

In January, Janesville sees average daytime highs of 28°F and overnight lows near 14°F, with 1.8 in of precipitation across 7.7 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-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 23% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Janesville's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Janesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
14°
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.8 in
7.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:30 AM – 4:41 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
8 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Janesville is city in and county seat of Rock County, Wisconsin, United States.

Density
720/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

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 Janesville reaches about 28°F in the afternoon and slips back to 14°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°F and 41°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)
13017
23017
33016
42916
52916
62915
72915
82915
92915
102815
112814
122814
132814
142814
152814
162813
172813
182713
192713
202713
212713
222713
232713
242813
252813
262813
272813
282814
292814
302814
312814

How January really feels in Janesville

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.

Janesville 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
Jan28° / 14°1.87.76.49.20.0
Feb32° / 17°1.76.95.510.30.0
Mar44° / 28°2.49.43.511.61.0
Apr57° / 39°4.0121.613.13.7
May68° / 50°3.912.20.114.45.9
Jun78° / 60°4.111.6015.16.4
Jul81° / 64°3.310.1014.86.5
Aug79° / 62°3.610.3013.76.7
Sep72° / 54°3.38.8012.36.9
Oct59° / 42°2.88.90.310.84.8
Nov45° / 31°2.2829.61.1
Dec33° / 20°2.07.858.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

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 (%)
13268
23268
33268
43268
53169
63169
73169
83169
93268
103268
113268
123367
133367
143367
153466
163565
173664
183565
193565
203664
213565
223565
233565
243565
253565
263565
273565
283565
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Janesville gets around 1.8 in of rain and snow over 7.7 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 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12517
22518
32618
42619
52619
62720
72720
82720
92721
102721
112721
122721
132721
142721
152721
162621
172621
182621
192521
202421
212421
222321
232321
242321
252321
262321
272321
282221
292221
302221
312221

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 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
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
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min 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 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:32 AM to 7:20 AM, and sunset from 4:27 PM to 4:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:324:27
28.97:324:27
38.97:324:28
49.07:324:29
59.07:324:30
69.07:324:31
79.07:324:32
89.07:324:33
99.07:324:34
109.17:324:35
119.17:314:36
129.17:314:37
139.17:314:38
149.17:304:39
159.27:304:40
169.27:304:41
179.27:294:42
189.27:294:43
199.37:284:44
209.37:284:46
219.37:274:47
229.47:274:48
239.47:264:49
249.47:254:50
259.57:254:52
269.57:244:53
279.57:234:54
289.67:224:55
299.67:214:57
309.67:204:58
319.77:204:59

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.59 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.92 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Dim
202.0Moderate
212.0Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Janesville?

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 Janesville.

What to pack for Janesville in January

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

In January, Janesville sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 14°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Janesville 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 Janesville peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Janesville 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 Janesville is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Janesville?

Janesville sits at 42.7°N, 89.0°W, 837 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Beloit, 12 mi away.

Topography around Janesville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Janesville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 ft around an average of 833 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,063 ft.

The land around Janesville is covered by artificial surfaces (37%), trees (34%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (58%) within 10 miles, and cropland (56%) and trees (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
200 ft
10 miles
348 ft
50 miles
1,063 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Beloit 12 mi · Machesney Park 23 mi · Loves Park 25 mi · Rockford 29 mi · Fitchburg 30 mi · Belvidere 30 mi · Madison 33 mi · Sun Prairie 36 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 Janesville (42.6828°, -89.0187°, elevation 837 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).