Middelkerke weather in January

In January, Middelkerke sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 76 mm of precipitation across 14.2 wet days and about 8.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 42 min at the start of January to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Middelkerke's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Middelkerke's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
76 mm
14.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 06 min
8:54 AM – 5:02 PM
Cloud cover
73%
10th clearest
Wind
28 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Middelkerke is town in Middelkerke municipality, Belgium.

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 7°C through the month.

A typical January day in Middelkerke reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
175
275
375
475
575
675
775
875
975
1075
1175
1275
1375
1475
1575
1675
1774
1874
1974
2074
2174
2274
2374
2474
2574
2674
2774
2874
2974
3074
3174

How January really feels in Middelkerke

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Middelkerke weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7614.20.88.20.8
Feb / 6311.91.19.60.7
Mar / 5611.50.611.51.5
Apr11° / 4610013.52.5
May14° / 11°5510.6015.33.8
Jun16° / 14°5810.2016.35.1
Jul19° / 16°6811.5015.95.9
Aug19° / 17°7811.9014.46.0
Sep18° / 15°8011.9012.45.3
Oct15° / 12°9814.6010.43.8
Nov11° / 10315.70.28.72.2
Dec / 9815.50.77.71.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32773
42773
52872
62872
72971
82971
92971
102971
113070
123070
133169
143169
153169
163169
173169
183169
193070
202872
212872
222872
232872
242773
252773
262773
272773
282773
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Middelkerke gets around 76 mm of rain and snow over 14.2 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 46% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1513
2513
3513
4513
5503
6503
7493
8483
9482
10472
11472
12462
13462
14452
15452
16452
17452
18442
19442
20442
21442
22442
23442
24443
25443
26443
27433
28433
29433
30423
31424

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 28 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 26 km/h on the calmest days to 28 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
128breezy
228breezy
328breezy
428breezy
528breezy
628breezy
728breezy
828breezy
928breezy
1028breezy
1128breezy
1228breezy
1328breezy
1428breezy
1528breezy
1628breezy
1727breezy
1827breezy
1927breezy
2027breezy
2127breezy
2227breezy
2327breezy
2427breezy
2527breezy
2627breezy
2727breezy
2827breezy
2927breezy
3027breezy
3126breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 42 min at the start of January to 8 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:00 AM to 8:38 AM, and sunset from 4:44 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.79:004:44
27.79:004:45
37.89:004:46
47.89:004:47
57.88:594:48
67.88:594:49
77.98:594:50
87.98:594:51
97.98:584:53
107.98:584:54
118.08:574:55
128.08:574:56
138.08:564:58
148.18:554:59
158.18:555:01
168.18:545:02
178.28:535:03
188.28:525:05
198.28:525:06
208.38:515:08
218.38:505:10
228.48:495:11
238.48:485:13
248.58:475:14
258.58:455:16
268.68:445:18
278.68:435:19
288.78:425:21
298.78:415:23
308.88:395:24
318.88:385:26

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.77 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.84 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
150.8Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.9Dim
190.9Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Middelkerke?

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

0.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Middelkerke.

What to pack for Middelkerke in January

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

In January, Middelkerke sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Middelkerke in January

The nearest coast averages about 8°C 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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct15Cool
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Middelkerke in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Middelkerke peaks around June 22 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 22UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Middelkerke?

Middelkerke sits at 51.2°N, 2.8°E, 4 m above sea level, in Belgium. The nearest listed city is Ostend, 8.0 km away.

DiksmuideZedelgemTorhoutSint-AndriesBlankenbergeBruges

Topography around Middelkerke

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Middelkerke.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Middelkerke has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 17 m around an average of 1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 336 m.

The land around Middelkerke is covered by water (39%), cropland (25%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, water (48%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and cropland (36%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
17 m
16 km
43 m
80 km
336 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Ostend 8.0 km · Koksijde 15 km · Diksmuide 17 km · Zedelgem 23 km · Torhout 24 km · Sint-Andries 25 km · Blankenberge 26 km · Bruges 28 km

Belgium travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 81% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$60,750
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
5.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 608
Religion
Roman Catholic 57%nonbeliever/agnostic 20%atheist 9%Muslim 7%

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 Middelkerke (51.1853°, 2.8208°, elevation 4 m), 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).