Saint Cloud weather in January

In January, Saint Cloud sees average daytime highs of 21°F and overnight lows near 6°F, with 0.8 in of precipitation across 5.6 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°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 36 min at the start of January to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Saint Cloud's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Saint Cloud's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.8 in
5.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
8:00 AM – 4:52 PM
Cloud cover
67%
11th clearest
Wind
8 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
1.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Saint Cloud is city on tripoint of Benton, Sherburne and Stearns Counties in Minnesota, United States.

Density
619/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 21°F through the month.

A typical January day in Saint Cloud reaches about 21°F in the afternoon and slips back to 6°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°F and 36°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)
1228
2228
3217
4217
5217
6216
7216
8216
9206
10206
11205
12205
13205
14205
15205
16205
17205
18205
19205
20205
21215
22215
23215
24216
25216
26226
27226
28226
29226
30227
31227

How January really feels in Saint Cloud

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.

Saint Cloud 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
Jan21° / 0.85.65.68.90.0
Feb26° / 10°0.94.84.310.10.0
Mar39° / 22°1.87.24.111.60.3
Apr54° / 35°3.010.32.713.33.1
May67° / 48°3.911.60.214.75.8
Jun76° / 58°4.512.1015.46.4
Jul80° / 63°3.810.6015.16.6
Aug78° / 60°3.710.1013.96.9
Sep70° / 51°3.08.6012.36.8
Oct55° / 38°2.78.9110.73.7
Nov39° / 25°1.76.23.79.30.3
Dec26° / 12°1.15.55.58.60.0

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 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23664
33664
43565
53565
63664
73664
83565
93565
103664
113664
123664
133664
143565
153565
163466
173466
183565
193565
203565
213664
223664
233763
243763
253664
263664
273763
283763
293862
303763
313862

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Saint Cloud gets around 0.8 in of rain and snow over 5.6 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 18% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11616
21616
31616
41616
51716
61717
71717
81817
91818
101818
111918
121919
131919
142020
152020
162020
172020
182020
192020
201920
211920
221919
231919
241919
251819
261818
271818
281718
291717
301717
311717

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 36 min at the start of January to 9 h 24 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 8:03 AM to 7:48 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.68:034:37
28.68:034:38
38.68:034:38
48.68:034:39
58.68:034:40
68.68:034:41
78.78:034:42
88.78:034:43
98.78:024:44
108.78:024:45
118.78:024:46
128.88:014:48
138.88:014:49
148.88:014:50
158.88:004:51
168.98:004:52
178.97:594:53
188.97:594:55
199.07:584:56
209.07:574:57
219.07:574:59
229.17:565:00
239.17:555:01
249.17:545:02
259.27:545:04
269.27:535:05
279.27:525:07
289.37:515:08
299.37:505:09
309.47:495:11
319.47:485:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.8 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
232.0Dim
242.0Moderate
252.0Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Saint Cloud

In seasonPeak

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

Saint Cloud'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 Saint Cloud?

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 Saint Cloud.

What to pack for Saint Cloud in January

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

In January, Saint Cloud sees daytime highs around 21°F and nights near 6°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Saint Cloud 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 Saint Cloud peaks around June 17 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 17UV 9Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Saint Cloud?

Saint Cloud sits at 45.6°N, 94.2°W, 1,030 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sartell, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Saint Cloud

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Saint Cloud has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 213 ft around an average of 1,040 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 427 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 755 ft.

The land around Saint Cloud is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, cropland (35%), trees (32%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and cropland (42%), trees (31%) and grassland (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
213 ft
10 miles
427 ft
50 miles
755 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Sartell 5.0 mi · Buffalo 30 mi · Elk River 34 mi · Otsego 34 mi · Saint Michael 34 mi · Ramsey 40 mi · Champlin 45 mi · Anoka 45 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 Saint Cloud (45.5608°, -94.1625°, elevation 1,030 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).