Weather in Milwaukee in January 2026
- January is usually the coldest month of the year in Milwaukee;
Average weather
Average temperature in Milwaukee in January
Going from a maximum of +7°C during the day to a minimum of -21°C during the night, the temperature in January averages around +1°C.
The average maximum temperature goes down 64% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +6°C to -12°C.
Is Milwaukee warm or cold in January?
Milwaukee is typically cold in January.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from +2°C to -1°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from -4°C to -7°C.
Wear your winter warms as it will be cold. To save space, layer, and don’t forget gloves and a scarf.
January is the coldest month in Milwaukee, here is the comparison with other months:
Climate in Milwaukee in January
| December | January | February | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +2°C | -1°C | 0°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -24°C | -30°C | -30°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +19°C | +16°C | +23°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 37 mm | 20 mm | 19 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 74% | 73% | 72% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1018 HPa | 1018 HPa | 1018 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 15 | 14 | 12 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 5 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 8 | 12 | 10 | ||||
January weather is still as ok as in December. It’s getting colder in January. From +2°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to -1°C. As January arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 37 mm to 20 mm. It feels drier, as humidity decreases from 74% to 73%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during January, staying around 4 m/s. The amount of sunny days stay about the same, averaging 3 sunny days during the month.
February brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 4 m/s getting up to 8 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Milwaukee is gradually increasing during January, going from 3 m/s to 3 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
January is one of the snowiest months in Milwaukee.
Here’s how January is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last January in Milwaukee?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Milwaukee in January has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1996 (+10°C) and the highest in 2012 (+16°C). The driest year was 2005 with only 615 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2024 with 1292 mm.
FAQ
Is January a good time to visit Milwaukee?
Can you sunbathe in Milwaukee in January?
Is Milwaukee rainy in January?
Is it sunny in Milwaukee in January?
Other cities in USA
Monthly weather in Milwaukee
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Milwaukee, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.
