Owatonna weather in January

In January, Owatonna sees average daytime highs of 23°F and overnight lows near 8°F, with 1.1 in of precipitation across 6.3 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 21% 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 Owatonna's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Owatonna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.1 in
6.3 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:51 AM – 4:53 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
11 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Owatonna is city in Minnesota, USA.

Density
669/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

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 Owatonna reaches about 23°F in the afternoon and slips back to 8°F overnight — a 14°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
7239
8238
9238
10228
11228
12228
13228
14228
15228
16227
17227
18227
19227
20227
21228
22228
23228
24228
25238
26238
27238
28238
29238
30238
31239

How January really feels in Owatonna

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.

Owatonna 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° / 1.16.36.29.10.0
Feb27° / 12°1.15.55.210.20.0
Mar40° / 24°2.38.24.211.60.5
Apr56° / 37°3.711.52.113.23.5
May67° / 49°4.712.90.114.55.7
Jun77° / 59°5.412.8015.26.3
Jul80° / 63°4.3100156.7
Aug78° / 60°4.210013.86.9
Sep71° / 52°3.58.8012.36.9
Oct58° / 40°2.68.50.610.84.4
Nov42° / 27°1.96.83.59.40.6
Dec28° / 14°1.47.16.28.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33466
43466
53466
63565
73466
83466
93466
103466
113466
123367
133367
143367
153367
163268
173268
183268
193268
203268
213268
223268
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283367
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Owatonna gets around 1.1 in of rain and snow over 6.3 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 22% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11919
21919
31919
41919
51919
61919
71919
81919
92019
102019
112019
122020
132120
142120
152221
162221
172221
182222
192222
202222
212222
222222
232222
242221
252221
262121
272121
282121
292021
302020
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 11 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 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
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 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 7:54 AM to 7:40 AM, and sunset from 4:38 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:544:38
28.87:544:39
38.87:544:40
48.87:544:41
58.87:544:42
68.87:544:43
78.87:544:44
88.97:534:45
98.97:534:46
108.97:534:47
118.97:534:48
128.97:524:49
139.07:524:50
149.07:524:51
159.07:514:52
169.07:514:53
179.17:504:55
189.17:504:56
199.17:494:57
209.27:494:58
219.27:484:59
229.27:485:01
239.37:475:02
249.37:465:03
259.37:455:05
269.47:455:06
279.47:445:07
289.47:435:08
299.57:425:10
309.57:415:11
319.57:405:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Moderate
192.0Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Owatonna

In seasonPeak

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

Owatonna'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 Owatonna?

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 Owatonna.

What to pack for Owatonna in January

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

In January, Owatonna 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 Owatonna in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Owatonna peaks around June 16 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 16UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Owatonna?

Owatonna sits at 44.1°N, 93.2°W, 1,152 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Faribault, 15 mi away.

Topography around Owatonna

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Owatonna has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 ft around an average of 1,188 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 325 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 843 ft.

The land around Owatonna is covered by trees (36%), artificial surfaces (28%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, cropland (76%) within 10 miles, and cropland (74%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
210 ft
10 miles
325 ft
50 miles
843 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Faribault 15 mi · Northfield 26 mi · Albert Lea 31 mi · Austin 32 mi · Rochester 38 mi · Farmington 39 mi · Lakeville 39 mi · Mankato 39 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 Owatonna (44.0838°, -93.226°, elevation 1,152 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).