Madison weather in January

In January, Madison sees average daytime highs of 56°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 4.8 in of precipitation across 9.8 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 56°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Madison's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madison's year-round climate.

Daytime high
56°
12th warmest
Overnight low
38°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.8 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
7:07 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
57%
8th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Madison is city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States.

Density
377/km²
people per km²
Founded
1988

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 56°F through the month.

A typical January day in Madison reaches about 56°F in the afternoon and slips back to 38°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15639
25638
35638
45638
55638
65638
75638
85538
95538
105538
115538
125538
135638
145637
155637
165637
175637
185637
195637
205637
215637
225637
235637
245637
255638
265738
275738
285738
295738
305738
315738

How January really feels in Madison

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 11 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
11
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 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 38°4.89.810.13.8
Feb60° / 41°4.79.710.84.8
Mar68° / 48°4.910.411.86.3
Apr75° / 55°4.58.512.87.1
May83° / 63°4.11013.66.1
Jun89° / 71°3.311.514.14.2
Jul91° / 73°3.913.713.93.5
Aug91° / 72°3.711.913.23.6
Sep87° / 67°3.37.412.25.2
Oct77° / 55°3.67.411.27.4
Nov66° / 45°3.6810.36.5
Dec58° / 40°4.79.59.94.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54357
64357
74357
84357
94357
104357
114456
124456
134555
144654
154654
164654
174654
184753
194852
204852
214852
224852
234951
245050
255050
265050
275050
284951
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Madison gets around 4.8 in of rain and snow over 9.8 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 32% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
532
632
732
831
931
1031
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2732
2832
2931
3031
3131

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
184871
285861
384961
484961
584961
685960
785960
885960
986950
1087850
1187850
1287850
1387850
1488840
1589740
1689740
1789740
1889740
1989740
2091630
2191630
2291630
2391630
2491630
2591630
2690631
2790631
2890631
2989641
3089641
3189641

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:07 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 5:01 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:075:01
29.97:075:01
39.97:075:02
49.97:075:03
59.97:075:03
69.97:075:04
710.07:085:05
810.07:085:06
910.07:085:07
1010.07:085:07
1110.07:085:08
1210.07:085:09
1310.07:085:10
1410.17:075:11
1510.17:075:11
1610.17:075:12
1710.17:075:13
1810.17:075:14
1910.17:075:15
2010.27:065:16
2110.27:065:17
2210.27:065:18
2310.27:055:18
2410.27:055:19
2510.37:055:20
2610.37:045:21
2710.37:045:22
2810.37:035:23
2910.47:035:24
3010.47:025:25
3110.47:025:26

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
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).

3.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-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 56°F and nights near 38°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Madison in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Madison peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar6High
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

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 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1622 µg/m³Jan 106 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Madison?

Madison sits at 32.5°N, 90.1°W, 338 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ridgeland, 2.5 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 171 ft around an average of 341 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 ft.

The land around Madison is covered by trees (56%) and grassland (24%) within 2 miles, trees (59%) within 10 miles, and trees (81%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
171 ft
10 miles
312 ft
50 miles
614 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Ridgeland 2.5 mi · Jackson 12 mi · Pearl 13 mi · Clinton 15 mi · Brandon 15 mi · Vicksburg 45 mi · Greenwood 73 mi · Laurel 78 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 (32.4618°, -90.1154°, elevation 338 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). 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).