January is the coldest winter month.
Depending on the nature of the development of atmospheric processes, the January temperature in some years differs significantly from the norm. During the post-war period, January 1950, 1963 and 1969 turned out to be colder than usual (8-10°C below the climatic norm) compared to the norm of 1991-2020 (-4.1 °C), and January 1987 turned out to be exceptionally cold with an average monthly temperature of -16.3 °C (12.2 °C below the climatic norm).
Warmer than usual conditions, with temperatures 4-5.2°C above the norm, were observed in January 1989, 2007, and 2020. The warmest January on record was in 2025, when the average air temperature across the republic was +1.2°C, exceeding the climatic norm by 5.3°C.
The absolute minimum air temperature was recorded at the Tolochin weather station on the night of 17 January 1940 (-42.2°C).
The absolute maximum air temperature was recorded in Vysokoye on 1 January 2023 (+16.4°C).
The frequency of thaw days in January ranges from 10 to 18.
During January, snow cover typically increases. By the end of the month, its average depth is usually 4-17 cm.
The average number of days with precipitation of 1 mm or more in January is 8-13. 29 to 57 mm of precipitation usually falls per month (the national average is 41 mm). With cyclonic weather, precipitation can exceed the norm by 2-3 times and reach 69-135 mm. The minimum amount of January precipitation in the anticyclonal weather regime does not exceed 1-9 mm.
During the month, on average, there are from 1 to 9 days with fog, from 1 to 7 days with glaze, and from 1 to 8 days with frost. On average, there are 1-3 days with a snowstorm, increasing in some years to 4-10 days.
The greatest gust of wind in January was recorded in Vasilevichi on January 11, 1975 (34 m/s).
The following maximums have been recorded nationally in January:
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