Ostend weather in January

In January, Ostend sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 73 mm of precipitation across 13.9 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 16% 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 Ostend's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ostend's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
73 mm
13.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 06 min
8:54 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
72%
9th clearest
Wind
25 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Ostend is city in Ostend 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 Ostend 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 2°C and 10°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)
174
274
374
474
574
674
774
874
974
1074
1174
1274
1374
1474
1574
1674
1774
1874
1974
2074
2174
2274
2364
2464
2564
2664
2764
2863
2963
3063
3163

How January really feels in Ostend

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.

Ostend 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 / 7313.90.88.20.7
Feb / 6011.41.19.60.7
Mar / 5511.40.511.51.6
Apr11° / 4610.4013.52.8
May14° / 11°5710.9015.34.2
Jun17° / 14°6010.5016.35.4
Jul20° / 16°7012015.96.0
Aug20° / 16°8012014.46.0
Sep18° / 14°7812012.45.4
Oct15° / 11°9214010.43.8
Nov11° / 9515.40.28.72.1
Dec / 9314.90.77.71.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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
133070
143169
153169
163070
173070
183070
193070
202971
212872
222872
232773
242773
252773
262674
272674
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Ostend gets around 73 mm of rain and snow over 13.9 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 45% and peaks near 49% 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 (%)
1493
2493
3493
4483
5483
6483
7473
8473
9463
10463
11452
12452
13452
14442
15442
16442
17442
18442
19442
20442
21442
22442
23442
24433
25433
26433
27433
28423
29423
30423
31414

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 24 km/h on the calmest days to 26 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
125breezy
226breezy
326breezy
426breezy
526breezy
626breezy
726breezy
826breezy
926breezy
1026breezy
1126breezy
1226breezy
1326breezy
1425breezy
1525breezy
1625breezy
1725breezy
1825breezy
1925breezy
2025breezy
2125breezy
2225breezy
2325breezy
2425breezy
2524breezy
2624breezy
2724breezy
2824breezy
2924breezy
3024breezy
3124breezy

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 4:43 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.79:004:43
27.79:004:44
37.88:594:45
47.88:594:46
57.88:594:47
67.88:594:48
77.98:594:50
87.98:584:51
97.98:584:52
107.98:574:53
118.08:574:55
128.08:564:56
138.08:564:57
148.18:554:59
158.18:545:00
168.18:545:01
178.28:535:03
188.28:525:04
198.28:515:06
208.38:505:07
218.38:495:09
228.48:485:11
238.48:475:12
248.58:465:14
258.58:455:15
268.68:445:17
278.68:435:19
288.68:425:20
298.78:405:22
308.78:395:24
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 5.72 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 Ostend?

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

0.7
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 Ostend.

What to pack for Ostend in January

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

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

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Ostend in January

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 6°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
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Ostend 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 Ostend 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 Ostend?

Ostend sits at 51.2°N, 2.9°E, 6 m above sea level, in Belgium. The nearest listed city is Middelkerke, 8.0 km away.

ZedelgemSint-AndriesBlankenbergeTorhoutBrugesDiksmuideOostkamp

Topography around Ostend

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ostend has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 49 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 318 m.

The land around Ostend is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, water (43%), cropland (23%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (35%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
25 m
16 km
49 m
80 km
318 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Middelkerke 8.0 km · Zedelgem 17 km · Sint-Andries 18 km · Blankenberge 18 km · Torhout 21 km · Bruges 21 km · Diksmuide 21 km · Oostkamp 22 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 Ostend (51.2155°, 2.927°, elevation 6 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).