Urbana weather in January

In January, Urbana sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 21°F, with 2.7 in of precipitation across 8.6 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Urbana's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Urbana's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
12th warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Precipitation
2.7 in
8.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
7:19 AM – 4:45 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Urbana is town in and county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States.

Density
1,410/km²
people per km²
Founded
1833

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 35°F through the month.

A typical January day in Urbana reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 21°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°F and 52°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13723
23723
33622
43622
53622
63622
73622
83621
93521
103521
113521
123521
133520
143520
153520
163520
173520
183520
193520
203520
213520
223520
233520
243520
253520
263520
273520
283620
293620
303621
313621

How January really feels in Urbana

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.

Urbana weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 21°2.78.64.49.50.0
Feb40° / 24°2.37.43.810.40.2
Mar51° / 33°3.310.31.611.72.5
Apr64° / 44°4.511.80.3135.2
May73° / 54°4.713.2014.26.2
Jun81° / 64°4.111.4014.86.0
Jul84° / 67°3.610.4014.65.6
Aug83° / 65°2.98.7013.66.2
Sep78° / 57°3.07.3012.37.3
Oct65° / 46°3.38.50.110.96.1
Nov51° / 35°3.38.70.89.82.7
Dec40° / 26°2.58.93.19.20.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43367
53268
63268
73268
83268
93268
103268
113268
123268
133367
143367
153367
163367
173367
183565
193565
203565
213565
223565
233565
243565
253664
263763
273763
283763
293862
303862
313763

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Urbana gets around 2.7 in of rain and snow over 8.6 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 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12810
22811
32811
42811
52811
62811
72912
82912
92912
102912
112912
122912
132913
142913
152913
162913
172814
182814
192814
202815
212715
222716
232716
242716
252616
262617
272617
282617
292617
302517
312517

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

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 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:20 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 4:32 PM to 5:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:204:32
29.27:204:33
39.27:204:33
49.27:214:34
59.27:214:35
69.37:214:36
79.37:214:37
89.37:204:38
99.37:204:39
109.37:204:39
119.37:204:40
129.47:204:41
139.47:204:42
149.47:194:43
159.47:194:44
169.47:194:45
179.57:184:46
189.57:184:48
199.57:184:49
209.57:174:50
219.67:174:51
229.67:164:52
239.67:164:53
249.77:154:54
259.77:144:55
269.77:144:56
279.77:134:58
289.87:124:59
299.87:125:00
309.87:115:01
319.97:105:02

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
122.0Dim
132.0Dim
142.0Moderate
152.0Moderate
162.0Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Urbana?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Urbana.

What to pack for Urbana in January

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

In January, Urbana sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 21°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Urbana 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 Urbana peaks around June 23 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 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Urbana 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 Urbana is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1616 µg/m³Oct 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Urbana?

Urbana sits at 40.1°N, 88.2°W, 728 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Champaign, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Urbana

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Urbana has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 ft around an average of 735 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 ft.

The land around Urbana is covered by artificial surfaces (38%) and trees (37%) within 2 miles, cropland (80%) within 10 miles, and cropland (85%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
82 ft
10 miles
203 ft
50 miles
495 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Champaign 1.9 mi · Danville 30 mi · Charleston 42 mi · Decatur 43 mi · Mattoon 44 mi · Bloomington 49 mi · Normal 50 mi · Terre Haute 62 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 Urbana (40.1106°, -88.2073°, elevation 728 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).