Sioux City weather in January

In January, Sioux City sees average daytime highs of 29°F and overnight lows near 13°F, with 0.9 in of precipitation across 4.7 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sioux City's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sioux City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
12th warmest
Overnight low
13°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.9 in
4.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:59 AM – 5:11 PM
Cloud cover
61%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sioux City is city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in Iowa, United States.

Density
547/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 29°F through the month.

A typical January day in Sioux City reaches about 29°F in the afternoon and slips back to 13°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°F and 46°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°F cooler than December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
12913
22913
32913
42913
52912
62912
72912
82912
92912
102912
112912
122912
132912
142912
152912
162912
172912
182912
192912
202912
212912
223013
233013
243013
253013
263013
273013
283013
293113
303113
313113

How January really feels in Sioux City

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.

Sioux City 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
Jan29° / 13°0.94.74.39.20.0
Feb34° / 16°1.154.410.30.0
Mar47° / 27°2.273.211.61.6
Apr60° / 39°4.010.61.813.14.6
May71° / 51°4.912.60.114.46.2
Jun80° / 61°4.911.8015.16.3
Jul84° / 65°3.08.8014.85.8
Aug82° / 63°3.99.4013.76.6
Sep75° / 54°3.07.7012.37.4
Oct62° / 41°2.47.40.510.85.6
Nov46° / 28°1.65.42.59.61.5
Dec33° / 17°1.25.24.28.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34357
44456
54555
64555
74654
84654
94654
104654
114654
124654
134555
144555
154456
164357
174357
184357
194357
204258
214258
224258
234258
244258
254258
264258
274357
284357
294258
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sioux City gets around 0.9 in of rain and snow over 4.7 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 16% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11715
21715
31614
41614
51614
61614
71514
81514
91513
101513
111513
121513
131513
141513
151513
161514
171614
181614
191614
201614
211614
221614
231614
241614
251614
261615
271615
281515
291515
301515
311515

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 10 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 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
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 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 8:01 AM to 7:49 AM, and sunset from 4:57 PM to 5:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:014:57
28.98:014:58
39.08:014:58
49.08:014:59
59.08:015:00
69.08:015:01
79.08:015:02
89.08:015:03
99.18:015:04
109.18:005:05
119.18:005:06
129.18:005:07
139.18:005:08
149.27:595:09
159.27:595:10
169.27:595:11
179.27:585:12
189.37:585:13
199.37:575:15
209.37:575:16
219.37:565:17
229.47:565:18
239.47:555:19
249.47:545:20
259.57:545:22
269.57:535:23
279.57:525:24
289.67:515:25
299.67:505:27
309.67:505:28
319.77:495:29

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.66 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.19 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
52.0Dim
62.0Dim
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sioux City

In seasonPeak

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

Sioux City'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 Sioux City?

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
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sioux City.

What to pack for Sioux City in January

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

In January, Sioux City sees daytime highs around 29°F and nights near 13°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Sioux City 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 Sioux City peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sioux City?

Sioux City sits at 42.5°N, 96.4°W, 1,201 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Norfolk, 62 mi away.

Topography around Sioux City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sioux City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 1,152 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 436 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 ft.

The land around Sioux City is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (30%) within 2 miles, cropland (52%) and grassland (23%) within 10 miles, and cropland (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
436 ft
50 miles
892 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Norfolk 62 mi · Fremont 74 mi · Sioux Falls 74 mi · Columbus 89 mi · Omaha 89 mi · Council Bluffs 90 mi · La Vista 93 mi · Papillion 95 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 Sioux City (42.5°, -96.4003°, elevation 1,201 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).