Banff weather in January

In January, Banff sees average daytime highs of -10°C and overnight lows near -17°C, with 23 mm of precipitation across 6.6 wet days and about 8.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -11°C in the first days to -9°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 Banff's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Banff's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-10°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-17°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
23 mm
6.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 06 min
8:48 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover
70%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.35 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Banff is town in Alberta, Canada.

Density
1,741/km²
people per km²
Founded
1885

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about -11°C in the first days to -9°C by the end.

A typical January day in Banff reaches about -10°C in the afternoon and slips back to -17°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -18°C and -3°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-11-18
2-11-18
3-11-18
4-11-18
5-11-18
6-11-18
7-11-18
8-11-18
9-10-18
10-10-17
11-10-17
12-10-17
13-10-17
14-10-17
15-10-17
16-10-17
17-10-17
18-9-17
19-9-17
20-9-17
21-9-17
22-9-17
23-9-17
24-9-17
25-9-17
26-9-17
27-9-17
28-9-17
29-9-17
30-9-17
31-9-17

How January really feels in Banff

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Banff weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-10° / -17°236.68.18.20.0
Feb-8° / -16°215.579.60.0
Mar-3° / -13°379.511.211.50.0
Apr / -8°5710.911.413.50.0
May / -3°7812.48.715.30.9
Jun12° / 11917.73.216.22.6
Jul17° / 8814.90.615.94.9
Aug17° / 7812.7114.45.1
Sep11° / -1°6210.24.912.42.9
Oct / -8°408.37.910.40.2
Nov-5° / -14°3589.48.70.0
Dec-11° / -18°236.27.57.70.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23268
33268
43169
53070
63070
73070
83070
92971
102971
112971
122971
133070
143070
152971
163169
173169
183169
193268
203367
213367
223367
233466
243466
253466
263664
273664
283664
293763
303862
313763

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Banff gets around 23 mm of rain and snow over 6.6 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 21% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12328
22328
32328
42329
52329
62328
72328
82328
92328
102328
112328
122227
132227
142126
152125
162025
171924
181924
191923
201923
211923
221923
231923
241923
251923
261923
271923
281923
291924
302024
312024

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 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 8:53 AM to 8:31 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 5:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.78:534:37
27.88:534:38
37.88:534:39
47.88:534:40
57.88:534:42
67.88:534:43
77.98:524:44
87.98:524:45
97.98:524:46
107.98:514:47
118.08:514:49
128.08:504:50
138.08:504:51
148.18:494:53
158.18:484:54
168.18:484:56
178.28:474:57
188.28:464:59
198.38:455:00
208.38:445:02
218.38:435:03
228.48:425:05
238.48:415:06
248.58:405:08
258.58:395:10
268.68:385:11
278.68:375:13
288.78:355:15
298.78:345:16
308.88:335:18
318.88:315:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.35 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 1.35 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.1Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.2Dim
61.2Dim
71.2Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Banff

In seasonPeak

None of Banff's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Banff's rainy season runs April–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Banff?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Banff.

What to pack for Banff in January

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

In January, Banff sees daytime highs around -10°C and nights near -17°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Banff 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 Banff peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Banff in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Banff is worst in August — around 64 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 25.7× the cleanest month (January, 3 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyGoodModerateGoodAug 1559 µg/m³Jan 103 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan3Good
Feb4Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul31Moderate
Aug64Unhealthy
Sep14Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov29Moderate
Dec3Good
Location & terrain

Where is Banff?

Banff sits at 51.2°N, 115.6°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Canmore, 18 km away.

Topography around Banff

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Banff has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 913 m around an average of 1,513 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,662 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,766 m.

The land around Banff is covered by trees (76%) within 3 km, trees (67%) and bare terrain (26%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) and bare terrain (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
913 m
16 km
1,662 m
80 km
2,766 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Canmore 18 km · Cochrane 77 km · Tuscany 93 km · Edgemont 99 km · Evanston 101 km · Panorama Hills 104 km · Calgary 105 km · Coventry Hills 105 km

Canada travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 83% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$55,698
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 53%none 35%Muslim 5%Hindu 2%

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 Banff (51.1762°, -115.5698°, 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).