Minot weather in January

In January, Minot sees average daytime highs of 18°F and overnight lows near 3°F, with 0.7 in of precipitation across 5 wet days and about 8.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Minot's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Minot's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.7 in
5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
8:38 AM – 5:11 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
11 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Minot is seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States.

Density
709/km²
people per km²
Founded
1886

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 18°F through the month.

A typical January day in Minot reaches about 18°F in the afternoon and slips back to 3°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°F and 37°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

-20°20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
1184
2183
3183
4173
5172
6172
7172
8172
9172
10172
11172
12172
13172
14172
15172
16172
17182
18182
19182
20182
21193
22193
23193
24193
25194
26204
27204
28204
29204
30204
31204

How January really feels in Minot

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.

Minot 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
Jan18° / 0.755.48.60.0
Feb22° / 0.74.259.90.0
Mar35° / 18°1.05.34.311.60.0
Apr51° / 31°1.77.73.113.42.6
May64° / 43°3.010.40.814.95.6
Jun73° / 53°4.111.4015.86.5
Jul78° / 58°3.09.3015.57.1
Aug78° / 55°2.17.7014.17.4
Sep69° / 46°2.06.6012.47.0
Oct53° / 34°1.66.41.610.63.4
Nov36° / 20°1.05.14.490.1
Dec23° / 0.85.66.38.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33961
43961
53862
63862
73862
83961
93961
103961
113961
123862
133763
143763
153664
163664
173565
183565
193565
203466
213565
223565
233565
243565
253466
263466
273565
283565
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Minot gets around 0.7 in of rain and snow over 5 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 16% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12122
22122
32021
42021
52020
61920
71920
81919
91819
101819
111818
121718
131718
141718
151718
161618
171618
181618
191618
201517
211517
221417
231416
241416
251416
261316
271316
281316
291316
301316
311316

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 11 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze
3111light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:42 AM to 8:24 AM, and sunset from 4:54 PM to 5:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.28:424:54
28.28:424:55
38.28:424:56
48.28:424:57
58.38:424:58
68.38:424:59
78.38:425:00
88.38:425:01
98.48:415:02
108.48:415:03
118.48:415:05
128.48:405:06
138.58:405:07
148.58:395:08
158.58:395:10
168.58:385:11
178.68:375:12
188.68:375:14
198.68:365:15
208.78:355:16
218.78:345:18
228.88:345:19
238.88:335:21
248.88:325:22
258.98:315:24
268.98:305:25
279.08:295:27
289.08:285:28
299.08:275:30
309.18:265:31
319.18:245:33

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
282.0Dim
292.0Moderate
302.0Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Minot

In seasonPeak

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

Minot's rainy season runs May–September, 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 Minot?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Minot.

What to pack for Minot in January

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

In January, Minot sees daytime highs around 18°F and nights near 3°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Minot 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 Minot peaks around June 21 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 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 21UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun8Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Minot 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 Minot is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodAug 1216 µg/m³Oct 216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Minot?

Minot sits at 48.2°N, 101.3°W, 1,621 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mandan, 99 mi away.

Topography around Minot

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Minot has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 ft around an average of 1,644 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 505 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,007 ft.

The land around Minot is covered by artificial surfaces (46%), grassland (28%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (64%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and cropland (61%) and grassland (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
236 ft
10 miles
505 ft
50 miles
1,007 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Mandan 99 mi · Bismarck 101 mi · Williston 107 mi · Dickinson 117 mi · Brandon 127 mi · Jamestown 151 mi · Grand Forks 198 mi · Arcola East 211 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 Minot (48.2325°, -101.2963°, elevation 1,621 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).