- January 1
- 1999 – The start of a tornado outbreak impacted parts of Texas and Louisiana. An F3 tornado destroyed two trailers and a brick house near Nome, Texas, injuring five people. An F1 tornado injured seven people near Huntsville, Texas.
January 2
- 2006 – An outbreak of 20 tornadoes hit the Midwestern and Southeastern United States, causing about $7.3 million in damage. A short-lived F3 tornado injured three people in Pike County, Georgia. An F2 tornado in Lincoln County, Kentucky destroyed several mobile homes and injured two people.
January 3
- 1949 – A major tornado outbreak impacted the central and southern United States. An F4 tornado devastated Warren, Arkansas, killing at least 55 people and injuring 435. About 120 homes were destroyed. Five others were killed and dozens injured by tornadoes across Louisiana and Arkansas.
January 4
- 1946 – Several strong tornadoes hit Texas. An F4 tornado killed 15 people and injured 60 in and near Palestine. Another F4 tornado devastated Nacogdoches, killing 10 people, injuring 200, and destroying about 150 homes. Three others were killed by an F3 tornado in Clawson and another two by a tornado in Limestone County. Damage totaled $2.55 million.
January 5
- 1931 – An F3 tornado killed six people near Norlina, North Carolina, five of them in one home. An F1 tornado from the same outbreak killed a person near Boynton, Virginia.
January 6
- 1946 – Three strong tornadoes hit Arkansas and Mississippi. An F4 tornado traveled from near Wilmot to near Lake Village, Arkansas, destroying dozens of homes and killing three people. An F3 tornado killed four people in Carroll County, Mississippi, and another of the same intensity killed four more people near Indianola and Sunflower, Mississippi.
January 7
- 2008 – The first day of a large tornado outbreak produced 32 tornadoes across the Midwestern and Southern United States. An EF3 tornado killed three people near Marshfield and Strafford, Missouri. Another EF3 tornado destroyed homes in Wheatland and Brighton, Wisconsin.
January 8
- 1978 – A small tornado outbreak affected Florida and North Carolina. An F2 tornado struck a trailer park in Lockhart, Florida, destroying 17 trailers and injuring 23 people.
January 9
- 1972 – An F3 tornado struck Laurel, Mississippi, destroying 15 homes, heavily damaging the high school, and injuring 12 people. Another F3 tornado, which hit Stringer and Paulding, Mississippi, injured one person and killed livestock.
January 10
- 1973 – A violent tornado, possibly as strong as F5, devastated San Justo, Santa Fe, Argentina, killing 63 people and injuring 350.
January 11
- 1898 – Around midnight, an estimated F4 tornado struck Fort Smith, Arkansas, resulting in 55 fatalities and 113 injuries. The newly constructed Fort Smith High School was destroyed, among many other structures.
January 12
- 1890 – A tornado outbreak hit the Midwestern United States and Ohio River Valley. The worst damage was from an F4 tornado that destroyed 75 buildings in Clinton, Kentucky, killing 11 people. An F2 tornado killed 4 people in St. Louis, Missouri.
- 1932 – Several strong tornadoes hit Mississippi and Alabama. An F3 tornado destroyed homes and a school in Moundville, Alabama, killing nine people. Another F3 tornado killed three people in Hamilton, Mississippi.
January 13
- 1972 – An F2 tornado hit Fort Rucker and two nearby trailer parks that housed army dependents, killing 4 people and injuring 88. This was the first of three significant tornadoes to hit the fort in two years. Another F2 tornado destroyed several homes and injured 21 people near Wadley and Waynesboro, Georgia.
January 14
- 1932 – An F4 tornado destroyed several homes near Eaton, Tennessee. All 10 deaths were in a single home that was swept away.
January 15
- 1971 – A small tornado outbreak hit Florida and Georgia. An F2 tornado killed a truck driver near Americus, Georgia when it blew a mobile home in-tow onto the cab. Another F2 tornado injured four people in Hinesville, Georgia
January 16
- 2017 – Four EF0 tornado tornadoes touched down in eastern Texas. One caused $300,000 in damage near Mexia. No deaths or injuries were reported.
January 17
- 1999 – A deadly tornado outbreak hit the southeastern United States, resulting in 8 deaths and 131 injuries. Most of the casualties were from an F4 tornado that hit the south side of Jackson, Tennessee, killing 6 people, injuring 106, and costing $10 million. Another tornado, rated F3, hit the north side of Jackson and caused $25 million in damage across Madison County.
January 18
- 1999 – An F4 tornado destroyed much of Mount Ayliff, South Africa, killing 21 people, injuring 350, and leaving 95% of the population homeless.
January 19
- 1988 – A small tornado outbreak affected the southeastern United States. An F3 tornado killed 3 people and injured 24 near Williston, Tennessee. Another person was killed by an F2 tornado in Haywood County, Tennessee. An F3 tornado injured 35 people in and near Cullman, Alabama, and an F4 tornado destroyed several homes in Attala County, Mississippi, severely injuring one person.
January 20
- 2010 – An small outbreak of 11 tornadoes hit parts of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. An EF3 tornado severely damaged or destroyed several homes and businesses near Waskom, Texas before crossing into Louisiana. An EF2 tornado damaged about 150 homes across Van Zandt County, Texas, injuring one person, and a short-lived EF2 tornado badly damaged homes and a church near Larue, Texas.
January 21
- 1999 – The first round three-day tornado outbreak brought 82 tornadoes to the southeastern United States. All eight tornadic deaths on this day were in Arkansas. Two tornadoes, rated F2 and F3, struck the Little Rock area with the stronger of the two killing 3 people and injuring 72. Another F3 tornado killed 2 people and injured 29 in Beebe, Arkansas.
January 22
- 1904 – An F4 tornado in Moundville, Alabama just after midnight caused 36 fatalities and 150 injuries.
- 1999 – Several tornadoes struck the Southern United States, with a pair of F3 tornadoes causing major damage in Benton County and Clarksville, Tennessee.
- 2017 – Numerous tornadoes struck Alabama and Georgia as part of a three-day outbreak. Two long-track EF3 tornadoes traveled across Georgia, resulting in 16 deaths. The entire outbreak produced 81 tornadoes, with 20 fatalities.
January 23
- 1969 – A long-track F4 tornado traveled more than 100 mi (160 km) across central Mississippi, killing 32 people and injuring 241. The worst damage was in Hazelhurst, where 11 people died and 140 were injured. Damage was otherwise limited to rural areas.
January 24
- 1964 – An F4 tornado destroyed several homes in Harpersville, Alabama, killing 10 people and injuring 6. An F2 tornado injured two others in Marmaduke, Arkansas
- 1967 – An unusually far-north winter tornado outbreak hit the Midwestern United States, killing 7 people. An F4 tornado struck the suburbs of St. Louis, where it killed 3 people, injured 216, and destroyed 168 homes. An F3 tornado killed 2 students at the high school in Orrick, Missouri and injured 18 others.
- 1997 – A tornado outbreak hit the Southeastern United States. An F4 tornado destroyed homes in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, injuring 18 people. An F2 tornado killed 1 person and injured 10 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
January 25
- 2021 – An EF3 tornado hit Fultondale, Alabama, killing one person and injuring 30 others.
January 26
- 1978 – Two tornadoes touched down in Virginia. An F3 tornado destroyed houses and trailers at Marine Corps Base Quantico, killing a child and injuring 10 other people. A short-lived F1 tornado damaged a school in Mecklenburg County.
January 27
- 2019 – An EF4 tornado struck Havana, Cuba, killing 8 people and injuring at least 190. It was the first F4 or EF4 tornado to hit Cuba since 1940.
January 28
- 1974 – An outbreak of 10 tornadoes hit the eastern United States, resulting in 11 injuries. An F3 tornado destroyed several homes in Jackson, Mississippi, injuring five people. An F2 tornado injured three people near Adaton, Mississippi.
January 29
- 1947 – Several strong tornadoes formed across parts of the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. An F4 tornado traveled 45 miles across northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, resulting in a fatality and 19 injuries. An F3 tornado killed five people near Montier, Missouri. Strong tornadoes continued to form overnight and into the next day.
January 30
- 2013 – The second day of a large tornado outbreak produced 44 tornadoes across the Eastern United States. An EF3 tornado caused significant damage in Adairsville, Georgia, killing 1 person and injuring 17.
January 31
- 1908 – An F4 tornado traveled 40 miles across southern Mississippi, causing significant damage in and near Martinsville and Georgetown, resulting in 7 deaths and 40 injuries. Hundreds of livestock were killed. An F2 tornado killed 2 people near Lucedale, Mississippi.