Bansko weather in January

In January, Bansko sees average daytime highs of 1°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 75 mm of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bansko's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bansko's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
1st coldest
Precipitation
75 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:57 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
56%
6th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Bansko is city in Bansko municipality, Blagoevgrad oblast, Bulgaria.

Density
62/km²
people per km²

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 1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Bansko reaches about 1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -7°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-6
21-7
31-7
41-7
51-7
61-7
71-7
81-7
91-7
101-7
111-7
121-7
131-7
141-7
151-7
161-7
171-7
181-7
191-7
201-7
211-7
221-7
231-7
241-7
251-7
261-7
271-7
281-7
292-7
302-7
312-7

How January really feels in Bansko

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.

Bansko weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -7°759.38.59.30.0
Feb / -6°729.2810.30.0
Mar / -3°9212.67.911.70.8
Apr12° / 9715.8313.12.5
May17° / 12318.10.214.34.3
Jun21° / 11316.50155.6
Jul23° / 11°9411.8014.76.9
Aug23° / 11°7810.9013.77.1
Sep19° / 7010.1012.36.2
Oct14° / 718.70.910.94.3
Nov / -1°778.32.89.61.6
Dec / -5°9410.17.190.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34951
44951
54951
65050
75149
85248
95248
105248
115347
125347
135248
145248
155347
165248
175248
185149
195149
205050
214951
224951
234951
244951
254852
264852
274753
284852
294852
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bansko gets around 75 mm of rain and snow over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12924
22924
32824
42824
52724
62723
72623
82623
92623
102523
112523
122523
132623
142624
152724
162825
172926
183027
193128
203228
213229
223330
233430
243431
253431
263431
273431
283431
293330
303330
313230

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 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:59 AM to 7:47 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 5:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:594:59
29.07:595:00
39.07:595:01
49.07:595:02
59.17:595:03
69.17:595:04
79.17:595:05
89.17:595:05
99.17:595:06
109.17:595:07
119.27:595:08
129.27:585:09
139.27:585:10
149.27:585:11
159.37:575:13
169.37:575:14
179.37:575:15
189.37:565:16
199.47:565:17
209.47:555:18
219.47:555:19
229.47:545:20
239.57:535:22
249.57:535:23
259.57:525:24
269.67:515:25
279.67:515:26
289.67:505:28
299.77:495:29
309.77:485:30
319.77:475:31

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
52.0Dim
62.0Dim
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Bansko?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bansko.

What to pack for Bansko in January

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

In January, Bansko sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Bansko in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bansko peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bansko?

Bansko sits at 41.8°N, 23.5°E, 0 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Sandanski, 34 km away.

SandanskiGotse DelchevBlagoevgradVelingradPetrichSamokovDupnitsaDelcevo

Topography around Bansko

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bansko has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 456 m around an average of 947 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,226 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,870 m.

The land around Bansko is covered by grassland (42%), trees (24%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, trees (68%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
456 m
16 km
2,226 m
80 km
2,870 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sandanski 34 km · Gotse Delchev 36 km · Blagoevgrad 38 km · Velingrad 47 km · Petrich 54 km · Samokov 56 km · Dupnitsa 57 km · Delcevo 61 km

Bulgaria travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$20,328
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
96%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
9.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 594
Religion
Christian 65%Muslim 10%none 5%other 0%

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 Bansko (41.8361°, 23.4874°, elevation 0 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. 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).