Moorhead weather in January

In January, Moorhead sees average daytime highs of 19°F and overnight lows near 2°F, with 0.8 in of precipitation across 4.8 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Moorhead's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Moorhead's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.8 in
4.8 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:15 AM – 4:58 PM
Cloud cover
68%
10th clearest
Wind
8 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
1.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Moorhead is city in Clay County, Minnesota, USA.

Density
728/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 19°F through the month.

A typical January day in Moorhead reaches about 19°F in the afternoon and slips back to 2°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°F and 35°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

-20°20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
1194
2194
3194
4193
5183
6183
7182
8182
9182
10182
11182
12182
13182
14181
15181
16181
17182
18182
19182
20182
21182
22192
23192
24192
25193
26193
27193
28203
29203
30204
31204

How January really feels in Moorhead

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.

Moorhead 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
Jan19° / 0.84.84.98.80.0
Feb23° / 0.74.64.4100.0
Mar37° / 20°1.46.2411.60.2
Apr53° / 33°2.17.92.213.33.2
May67° / 46°3.511.40.114.85.9
Jun76° / 57°4.312.2015.66.4
Jul81° / 61°3.710.1015.36.7
Aug79° / 58°3.28.90147.1
Sep70° / 49°2.98.2012.46.9
Oct55° / 36°2.47.9110.63.7
Nov38° / 22°1.15.43.49.20.2
Dec24° / 0.95.55.88.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23664
33664
43664
53664
63664
73664
83763
93763
103763
113763
123664
133664
143565
153565
163466
173367
183367
193367
203367
213367
223367
233466
243466
253466
263466
273466
283565
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Moorhead gets around 0.8 in of rain and snow over 4.8 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 16% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11819
21819
31819
41819
51818
61718
71718
81718
91717
101717
111717
121718
131718
141718
151718
161718
171718
181717
191617
201617
211516
221516
231515
241415
251415
261414
271414
281314
291314
301314
311414

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 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 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 8:19 AM to 8:02 AM, and sunset from 4:42 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:194:42
28.48:194:43
38.48:194:44
48.48:194:45
58.58:184:46
68.58:184:47
78.58:184:48
88.58:184:49
98.58:184:50
108.68:174:51
118.68:174:52
128.68:174:53
138.68:164:54
148.78:164:55
158.78:154:57
168.78:154:58
178.88:144:59
188.88:145:01
198.88:135:02
208.88:125:03
218.98:115:05
228.98:115:06
239.08:105:07
249.08:095:09
259.08:085:10
269.18:075:11
279.18:065:13
289.28:055:14
299.28:045:16
309.28:035:17
319.38:025:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.69 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
272.0Dim
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Moorhead

In seasonPeak

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

Moorhead'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 Moorhead?

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 Moorhead.

What to pack for Moorhead in January

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

In January, Moorhead sees daytime highs around 19°F and nights near 2°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Moorhead 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 Moorhead peaks around June 18 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 18UV 8Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Moorhead 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 Moorhead is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 1215 µg/m³Oct 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Moorhead?

Moorhead sits at 46.9°N, 96.8°W, 906 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fargo, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Moorhead

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Moorhead has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 ft around an average of 906 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 837 ft.

The land around Moorhead is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (65%) within 10 miles, and cropland (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
72 ft
10 miles
121 ft
50 miles
837 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Fargo 1.2 mi · West Fargo 6.2 mi · Grand Forks 74 mi · Jamestown 91 mi · Aberdeen 127 mi · Watertown 137 mi · Willmar 147 mi · Sartell 150 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 Moorhead (46.8739°, -96.7695°, elevation 906 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).