Kankakee weather in January

In January, Kankakee sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 19°F, with 2.5 in of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°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 9 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kankakee's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kankakee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
12th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.5 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:20 AM – 4:41 PM
Cloud cover
71%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kankakee is city in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States.

Density
665/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 33°F through the month.

A typical January day in Kankakee reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 19°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°F and 49°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13522
23521
33521
43421
53421
63420
73420
83420
93320
103320
113319
123319
133319
143319
153219
163219
173219
183218
193218
203218
213218
223218
233218
243319
253319
263319
273319
283319
293319
303319
313419

How January really feels in Kankakee

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.

Kankakee 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
Jan33° / 19°2.58.95.39.40.0
Feb38° / 22°2.17.44.210.40.0
Mar49° / 31°3.110.42.211.72.0
Apr62° / 42°4.312.20.613.14.8
May72° / 52°4.513.1014.36.1
Jun80° / 62°4.112.4014.96.0
Jul83° / 66°3.711.2014.75.7
Aug82° / 64°3.49.5013.66.5
Sep76° / 56°3.08.1012.37.1
Oct64° / 45°3.29.10.110.95.8
Nov50° / 34°2.98.61.19.72.3
Dec38° / 25°2.38.23.49.10.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43169
53169
62971
73070
83070
93070
103169
113169
123169
133268
143367
153367
163268
173268
183268
193367
203367
213367
223367
233466
243466
253466
263466
273466
283466
293466
303466
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kankakee gets around 2.5 in of rain and snow over 8.9 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 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12613
22613
32714
42714
52815
62816
72816
82916
92917
102917
112917
122917
132917
142917
152917
162917
172917
182917
192917
202917
212917
222817
232817
242817
252817
262717
272717
282717
292617
302617
312517

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 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 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 7:22 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:27 PM to 4:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:224:27
29.17:224:28
39.17:224:29
49.17:224:30
59.17:224:30
69.17:224:31
79.27:224:32
89.27:224:33
99.27:224:34
109.27:224:35
119.27:224:36
129.37:224:37
139.37:214:38
149.37:214:39
159.37:214:40
169.37:204:41
179.47:204:42
189.47:204:43
199.47:194:44
209.47:194:46
219.57:184:47
229.57:184:48
239.57:174:49
249.67:164:50
259.67:164:51
269.67:154:52
279.77:144:54
289.77:144:55
299.77:134:56
309.87:124:57
319.87:114:58

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kankakee?

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 Kankakee.

What to pack for Kankakee in January

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

In January, Kankakee sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 19°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Kankakee in January

The nearest coast averages about 38°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 43 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 35°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 10 to Sep 16 — about 2.3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb35Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr39Bracing
May46Bracing
Jun59Cool
Jul70Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct58Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec42Bracing

UV index in Kankakee 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 Kankakee peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 21UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Kankakee 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 Kankakee is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kankakee?

Kankakee sits at 41.1°N, 87.9°W, 656 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bradley, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Kankakee

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Kankakee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 633 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 564 ft.

The land around Kankakee is covered by artificial surfaces (37%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, cropland (75%) within 10 miles, and cropland (70%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
564 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Bradley 1.2 mi · Bourbonnais 2.5 mi · Frankfort 26 mi · Park Forest 27 mi · Matteson 27 mi · New Lenox 27 mi · Mokena 28 mi · Chicago Heights 29 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 Kankakee (41.12°, -87.8611°, elevation 656 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).