Calgary weather in January

In January, Calgary sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 12 mm of precipitation across 3.7 wet days and about 8.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -4°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 48 min at the start of January to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Calgary's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Calgary's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-12°
1st coldest
Precipitation
12 mm
3.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:41 AM – 4:50 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Calgary is largest city in Alberta, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,583/km²
people per km²
Founded
1884

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 -4°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical January day in Calgary reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -12°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -16°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Calgary

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.

Calgary weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-3° / -12°123.74.58.20.0
Feb-0° / -11°123.74.29.60.0
Mar / -7°215.55.511.50.2
Apr11° / -2°388513.52.5
May16° / 7211.32.115.34.8
Jun19° / 10513.70.116.25.5
Jul23° / 10°6110.9015.86.8
Aug22° / 639.5014.47.0
Sep18° / 447.90.712.45.9
Oct11° / -1°256.2310.42.7
Nov / -7°194.95.18.70.0
Dec-2° / -11°143.74.57.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24357
34357
44357
54258
64258
74258
84258
94258
104258
114159
124159
134159
144357
154357
164357
174357
184357
194456
204456
214456
224456
234456
244456
254456
264555
274555
284555
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Calgary gets around 12 mm of rain and snow over 3.7 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 12% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11418
21518
31518
41518
51518
61517
71517
81517
91517
101517
111416
121416
131315
141315
151214
161214
171113
181113
191012
201012
211012
22912
23912
24912
25912
26912
27912
28913
291013
301013
311014

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 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 48 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 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:47 AM to 8:25 AM, and sunset from 4:32 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.88:474:32
27.88:474:33
37.88:474:34
47.88:474:35
57.88:464:36
67.98:464:37
77.98:464:38
87.98:454:40
97.98:454:41
108.08:454:42
118.08:444:43
128.08:444:45
138.18:434:46
148.18:424:47
158.18:424:49
168.28:414:50
178.28:404:52
188.28:394:53
198.38:394:55
208.38:384:56
218.48:374:58
228.48:364:59
238.48:355:01
248.58:345:03
258.58:335:04
268.68:315:06
278.68:305:08
288.78:295:09
298.78:285:11
308.88:265:13
318.88:255:14

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.53 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.31 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.1Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.2Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Calgary?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Calgary.

What to pack for Calgary in January

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

In January, Calgary sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Calgary 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 Calgary peaks around July 15 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 15UV 7Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Calgary?

Calgary sits at 51.1°N, 114.1°W, 1,048 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Beltline, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Calgary

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Calgary has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 96 m around an average of 1,071 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 298 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,384 m.

The land around Calgary is covered by artificial surfaces (63%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (40%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and grassland (36%), cropland (35%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
96 m
16 km
298 m
80 km
2,384 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Beltline 2.0 km · Edgemont 9.0 km · Panorama Hills 11 km · Taradale 13 km · Evanston 13 km · Coventry Hills 13 km · Saddle Ridge 13 km · Evergreen 13 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 Calgary (51.0501°, -114.0853°, elevation 1,048 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).