Northfield weather in January

In January, Northfield sees average daytime highs of 23°F and overnight lows near 9°F, with 1.1 in of precipitation across 6.2 wet days and about 9 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 Northfield's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Northfield's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.1 in
6.2 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:52 AM – 4:52 PM
Cloud cover
68%
11th clearest
Wind
9 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
1.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Northfield is city in Minnesota, United States.

Density
913/km²
people per km²
Founded
1855

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 Northfield reaches about 23°F in the afternoon and slips back to 9°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°F and 37°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
12411
22410
32410
42410
52310
6239
7239
8239
9239
10238
11238
12238
13238
14228
15228
16228
17228
18228
19238
20238
21238
22238
23238
24238
25238
26239
27249
28249
29249
30249
31249

How January really feels in Northfield

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.

Northfield 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° / 1.16.26.290.0
Feb28° / 12°1.15.3510.10.0
Mar40° / 24°2.28.14.311.60.5
Apr55° / 37°3.311.32.313.23.4
May67° / 49°4.612.80.214.65.8
Jun77° / 60°4.712.6015.36.3
Jul81° / 64°3.710.10156.6
Aug78° / 61°4.09.6013.96.9
Sep71° / 53°3.39.2012.36.8
Oct57° / 40°2.58.80.510.74.2
Nov41° / 27°1.96.93.79.40.5
Dec28° / 15°1.56.86.28.70.0

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 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23466
33466
43466
53466
63466
73466
83565
93565
103565
113466
123367
133367
143466
153466
163466
173268
183268
193367
203367
213367
223367
233466
243466
253466
263565
273466
283466
293565
303565
313763

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Northfield gets around 1.1 in of rain and snow over 6.2 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 21% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11819
21819
31819
41819
51819
61819
71819
81819
91819
101820
111920
121920
132021
142121
152121
162222
172222
182322
192322
202322
212322
222322
232322
242322
252321
262221
272221
282221
292120
302120
312020

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 9 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 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
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light 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 7:55 AM to 7:41 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 5:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:554:37
28.77:554:38
38.77:554:39
48.77:554:39
58.87:554:40
68.87:554:41
78.87:554:42
88.87:544:43
98.87:544:44
108.97:544:45
118.97:544:46
128.97:544:47
138.97:534:49
148.97:534:50
159.07:524:51
169.07:524:52
179.07:514:53
189.17:514:54
199.17:504:56
209.17:504:57
219.17:494:58
229.27:484:59
239.27:485:01
249.27:475:02
259.37:465:03
269.37:455:04
279.47:455:06
289.47:445:07
299.47:435:08
309.57:425:10
319.57:415:11

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.83 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.83 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
222.0Dim
232.0Dim
242.0Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Northfield

In seasonPeak

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

Northfield's rainy season runs March–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 Northfield?

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 Northfield.

What to pack for Northfield in January

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

In January, Northfield sees daytime highs around 23°F and nights near 9°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Northfield 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 Northfield peaks around June 15 at about 9 (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 15UV 9Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Northfield?

Northfield sits at 44.5°N, 93.2°W, 912 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Faribault, 12 mi away.

Topography around Northfield

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Northfield has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 226 ft around an average of 968 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 423 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 791 ft.

The land around Northfield is covered by trees (39%), cropland (25%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (63%) and trees (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (56%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
226 ft
10 miles
423 ft
50 miles
791 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Faribault 12 mi · Farmington 12 mi · Lakeville 14 mi · Apple Valley 19 mi · Rosemount 19 mi · Prior Lake 22 mi · Burnsville 22 mi · Savage 24 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 Northfield (44.4583°, -93.1616°, elevation 912 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).