Mankato weather in January

In January, Mankato sees average daytime highs of 23°F and overnight lows near 8°F, with 1.0 in of precipitation across 6.1 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°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 42 min at the start of January to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mankato's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mankato's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.0 in
6.1 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:54 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover
68%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Mankato is city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, USA.

Density
868/km²
people per km²
Founded
1852

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 23°F through the month.

A typical January day in Mankato reaches about 23°F in the afternoon and slips back to 8°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°F and 37°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)
12410
22410
32410
4239
5239
6239
7238
8238
9238
10238
11238
12228
13228
14227
15227
16227
17227
18227
19227
20238
21238
22238
23238
24238
25238
26238
27238
28248
29249
30249
31249

How January really feels in Mankato

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.

Mankato weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 1.06.15.99.10.0
Feb27° / 12°1.05.14.710.20.0
Mar41° / 24°2.27.93.911.60.6
Apr56° / 37°3.610.71.813.23.7
May69° / 50°4.712.60.114.55.9
Jun78° / 60°5.112.4015.26.4
Jul81° / 64°4.09.90156.6
Aug79° / 61°4.29.7013.86.9
Sep72° / 53°3.38.7012.37.0
Oct58° / 40°2.48.40.510.84.6
Nov42° / 27°1.86.23.29.40.7
Dec28° / 14°1.46.75.98.70.0

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43565
53664
63664
73664
83763
93664
103664
113664
123664
133664
143664
153565
163565
173565
183565
193565
203565
213466
223466
233466
243466
253466
263466
273466
283466
293466
303565
313466

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Mankato gets around 1.0 in of rain and snow over 6.1 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 20% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11818
21818
31818
41818
51818
61818
71818
81818
91918
101918
111918
122019
132019
142119
152120
162120
172221
182221
192221
202221
212221
222221
232221
242120
252120
262120
272020
282019
291919
301918
311818

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 8 h 42 min at the start of January to 9 h 30 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 7:57 AM to 7:43 AM, and sunset from 4:41 PM to 5:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:574:41
28.87:574:42
38.87:574:43
48.87:574:44
58.87:574:45
68.87:574:46
78.87:574:47
88.87:574:48
98.97:574:49
108.97:564:50
118.97:564:51
128.97:564:52
139.07:564:53
149.07:554:54
159.07:554:55
169.07:544:56
179.17:544:57
189.17:534:59
199.17:535:00
209.17:525:01
219.27:525:02
229.27:515:04
239.27:505:05
249.37:495:06
259.37:495:07
269.37:485:09
279.47:475:10
289.47:465:11
299.57:455:13
309.57:445:14
319.57:435:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.96 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Moderate
202.0Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mankato

In seasonPeak

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

Mankato's rainy season runs April–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 Mankato?

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 Mankato.

What to pack for Mankato in January

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

In January, Mankato sees daytime highs around 23°F and nights near 8°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Mankato 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 Mankato peaks around June 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highHighHighModerateLowJun 15UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Mankato?

Mankato sits at 44.2°N, 94.0°W, 830 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Faribault, 38 mi away.

Topography around Mankato

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mankato has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 ft around an average of 899 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 732 ft.

The land around Mankato is covered by trees (53%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 2 miles, cropland (58%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and cropland (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
302 ft
10 miles
374 ft
50 miles
732 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Faribault 38 mi · Owatonna 39 mi · Northfield 47 mi · Albert Lea 48 mi · Chaska 48 mi · Prior Lake 48 mi · Shakopee 50 mi · Lakeville 51 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 Mankato (44.1591°, -94.0092°, elevation 830 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).