Watertown weather in January

In January, Watertown sees average daytime highs of 27°F and overnight lows near 13°F, with 1.6 in of precipitation across 7.9 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°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 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Watertown's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watertown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
12th warmest
Overnight low
13°
1st coldest
Precipitation
1.6 in
7.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:30 AM – 4:38 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Watertown is city in Dodge County and Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States.

Density
739/km²
people per km²

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 27°F through the month.

A typical January day in Watertown reaches about 27°F in the afternoon and slips back to 13°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°F and 40°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)
12916
22916
32915
42915
52815
62815
72815
82814
92814
102814
112714
122713
132713
142713
152713
162713
172713
182613
192612
202612
212612
222612
232612
242712
252713
262713
272713
282713
292713
302713
312713

How January really feels in Watertown

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.

Watertown weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 13°1.67.96.69.20.0
Feb31° / 16°1.66.95.510.20.0
Mar43° / 26°2.38.93.911.60.8
Apr56° / 38°3.712.11.913.13.5
May67° / 49°3.711.8014.45.8
Jun77° / 59°3.911.2015.16.6
Jul81° / 63°3.29.9014.96.6
Aug79° / 61°3.510.2013.86.8
Sep72° / 53°2.98.8012.36.9
Oct58° / 42°2.890.310.84.5
Nov44° / 30°2.17.929.50.9
Dec32° / 20°1.97.65.48.90.0

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 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23268
33268
43169
53169
63070
73070
83070
93070
103070
113268
123268
133268
143367
153367
163466
173367
183367
193367
203367
213565
223565
233565
243466
253367
263367
273367
283367
293466
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Watertown gets around 1.6 in of rain and snow over 7.9 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 25% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12317
22417
32418
42418
52519
62520
72521
82621
92622
102622
112623
122623
132623
142623
152623
162623
172623
182623
192623
202623
212622
222522
232522
242521
252521
262521
272521
282521
292521
302421
312421

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
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light 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
269light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 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 7:32 AM to 7:20 AM, and sunset from 4:24 PM to 4:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:324:24
28.97:334:24
38.97:334:25
48.97:334:26
58.97:334:27
68.97:334:28
78.97:334:29
89.07:324:30
99.07:324:31
109.07:324:32
119.07:324:33
129.07:324:34
139.17:314:35
149.17:314:36
159.17:314:37
169.17:304:38
179.27:304:39
189.27:294:41
199.27:294:42
209.27:284:43
219.37:274:44
229.37:274:45
239.37:264:47
249.47:264:48
259.47:254:49
269.47:244:50
279.57:234:52
289.57:224:53
299.57:224:54
309.67:214:55
319.67:204:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.87 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
202.0Dim
212.0Dim
222.0Moderate
232.0Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Watertown?

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 Watertown.

What to pack for Watertown in January

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

In January, Watertown sees daytime highs around 27°F and nights near 13°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Watertown in January

The nearest coast averages about 38°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 44 mi away) is warmest in August at about 70°F and coldest in March near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 29 to Aug 30 — about 1.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May42Bracing
Jun54Bracing
Jul67Cool
Aug70Refreshing
Sep66Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov46Bracing
Dec41Bracing

UV index in Watertown 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 Watertown peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 19UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Watertown 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 Watertown is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1415 µg/m³Nov 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Watertown?

Watertown sits at 43.2°N, 88.7°W, 853 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Oconomowoc, 13 mi away.

Topography around Watertown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Watertown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 180 ft around an average of 843 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 1,129 ft.

The land around Watertown is covered by grassland (28%), artificial surfaces (27%) and trees (26%) within 2 miles, cropland (57%) and trees (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (47%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
180 ft
10 miles
325 ft
50 miles
1,129 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Oconomowoc 13 mi · Beaver Dam 19 mi · Sun Prairie 24 mi · Waukesha 28 mi · Menomonee Falls 31 mi · Germantown 31 mi · West Bend 32 mi · Brookfield 33 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 Watertown (43.1947°, -88.729°, elevation 853 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).