Madison weather in January

In January, Madison sees average daytime highs of 37°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 3.9 in of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 36°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 Madison's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madison's year-round climate.

Daytime high
37°
12th warmest
Overnight low
28°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.9 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:20 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
59%
7th clearest
Wind
14 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Madison is town in Connecticut, United States.

Founded
1826

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 36°F by the end.

A typical January day in Madison reaches about 37°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 48°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 6°F cooler than December and on par with February.

10°20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14031
24031
33930
43930
53930
63930
73930
83829
93829
103829
113829
123828
133828
143728
153728
163728
173728
183727
193727
203727
213727
223627
233627
243627
253627
263627
273627
283627
293627
303727
313727

How January really feels in Madison

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
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Madison weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 28°3.910.24.69.40.0
Feb38° / 28°3.58.94.110.30.0
Mar43° / 34°4.810.53.411.70.5
Apr51° / 42°4.211.10.513.12.5
May60° / 51°3.510.8014.34.7
Jun70° / 61°3.79.5014.96.5
Jul76° / 68°3.19.1014.77.1
Aug76° / 68°3.99.3013.77.2
Sep71° / 63°4.18.8012.36.9
Oct62° / 53°4.89.90.110.95.3
Nov52° / 43°4.19.10.59.72.8
Dec43° / 34°5.011.12.99.10.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24753
34852
44852
54852
64852
74852
84852
94753
104753
114753
124753
134654
144654
154654
164654
174654
184654
194654
204654
214654
224654
234654
244753
254852
264852
274852
284852
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Madison gets around 3.9 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 35% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13413
23413
33414
43514
53515
63515
73515
83515
93515
103515
113515
123515
133515
143515
153415
163415
173415
183314
193314
203314
213214
223114
233114
243014
253014
263014
272914
282914
292914
302914
312914

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 14 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 mph on the calmest days to 14 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
114breezy
214breezy
314breezy
414breezy
514breezy
614breezy
714breezy
814breezy
914breezy
1014breezy
1114breezy
1214breezy
1314breezy
1414breezy
1514breezy
1614breezy
1714breezy
1814breezy
1914breezy
2014breezy
2113breezy
2213breezy
2313breezy
2413breezy
2513breezy
2613breezy
2713breezy
2813breezy
2913breezy
3013breezy
3113breezy

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 7:21 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 4:26 PM to 4:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:214:26
29.17:224:26
39.17:224:27
49.17:224:28
59.17:224:29
69.17:224:30
79.17:224:31
89.27:224:32
99.27:224:32
109.27:214:33
119.27:214:34
129.27:214:35
139.37:214:36
149.37:204:37
159.37:204:39
169.37:204:40
179.47:194:41
189.47:194:42
199.47:184:43
209.47:184:44
219.57:174:45
229.57:174:46
239.57:164:47
249.57:164:49
259.67:154:50
269.67:144:51
279.67:144:52
289.77:134:53
299.77:124:55
309.77:114:56
319.87:104:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.07 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
132.0Dim
142.0Dim
152.0Moderate
162.0Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Madison

In seasonPeak

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

Madison sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Madison?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Madison.

What to pack for Madison in January

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

In January, Madison sees daytime highs around 37°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Madison in January

The nearest coast averages about 40°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 11 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in February near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 8 to Sep 25 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan40Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May53Bracing
Jun63Cool
Jul70Refreshing
Aug72Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct64Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec47Bracing

UV index in Madison 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 Madison peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Madison 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 Madison is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1120 µg/m³Nov 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Madison?

Madison sits at 41.3°N, 72.6°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Guilford, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Madison

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Madison has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 ft around an average of 46 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 653 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,503 ft.

The land around Madison is covered by trees (55%) and water (30%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and water (45%) within 10 miles, and trees (54%) and water (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
187 ft
10 miles
653 ft
50 miles
1,503 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Guilford 4.3 mi · Branford 11 mi · East Haven 14 mi · North Haven 16 mi · Wallingford Center 16 mi · Wallingford 17 mi · New Haven 17 mi · Hamden 17 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 Madison (41.2795°, -72.5984°, elevation 23 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).