Cambridge weather in January

In January, Cambridge sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 65 mm of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 9.2 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 9% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Cambridge's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cambridge's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
65 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:57 AM – 5:04 PM
Cloud cover
81%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Cambridge is city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Founded
1973

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 Cambridge reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -9°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -9°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-7
20-7
30-7
40-7
5-1-8
6-1-8
7-1-8
8-1-8
9-1-8
10-1-8
11-1-9
12-1-9
13-1-9
14-1-9
15-1-9
16-2-9
17-2-9
18-2-9
19-2-10
20-2-10
21-2-10
22-2-10
23-2-10
24-2-10
25-2-10
26-2-10
27-2-10
28-2-10
29-2-10
30-2-10
31-2-10

How January really feels in Cambridge

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.

Cambridge 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-1° / -9°6510.88.59.20.0
Feb-0° / -9°538.56.610.20.0
Mar / -4°649.94.911.60.4
Apr12° / 8711.81.913.23.1
May19° / 8711.6014.55.7
Jun24° / 13°9411.5015.26.6
Jul26° / 16°8310.8014.96.6
Aug25° / 15°759.6013.86.9
Sep21° / 11°789.5012.36.6
Oct14° / 77110.210.84.0
Nov / -0°71102.89.51.0
Dec / -5°6310.278.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31486
41486
51486
61486
71486
81486
91585
101585
111585
121684
131684
141684
151684
161684
171882
181882
191882
201882
211981
222080
232080
242080
252179
262179
272179
282179
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Cambridge gets around 65 mm of rain and snow over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13525
23525
33625
43726
53726
63727
73827
83827
93828
103828
113828
123728
133728
143628
153628
163628
173528
183528
193428
203428
213328
223328
233227
243227
253127
263127
273126
283026
293026
303025
313025

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:59 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 4:49 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.87:594:49
28.87:594:50
38.98:004:51
48.98:004:52
58.98:004:53
68.98:004:54
78.97:594:55
88.97:594:56
99.07:594:57
109.07:594:58
119.07:594:59
129.07:585:00
139.07:585:01
149.17:585:02
159.17:575:03
169.17:575:04
179.17:575:05
189.27:565:06
199.27:555:08
209.27:555:09
219.37:545:10
229.37:545:11
239.37:535:12
249.47:525:14
259.47:525:15
269.47:515:16
279.57:505:17
289.57:495:19
299.57:485:20
309.67:475:21
319.67:465:23

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.69 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.69 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
262.0Dim
272.0Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Cambridge?

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 Cambridge.

What to pack for Cambridge in January

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

In January, Cambridge sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -9°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Cambridge in January

The nearest coast averages about 4°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 56 km away) is warmest in August at about 21°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 22 to Sep 1 — about 1.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug21Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Cambridge 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 Cambridge peaks around June 23 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Cambridge 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 Cambridge is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1515 µg/m³Nov 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cambridge?

Cambridge sits at 43.4°N, 80.3°W, 272 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Christopher-Champlain, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Cambridge

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cambridge has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 294 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 175 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 461 m.

The land around Cambridge is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (36%) within 3 km, trees (37%) and cropland (33%) within 16 km, and cropland (51%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
175 m
80 km
461 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Christopher-Champlain 2.0 km · Fiddlesticks 4.0 km · Hespeler 8.0 km · Kitchener 18 km · Forest Heights 18 km · Waterloo 20 km · Guelph 21 km · Brant 25 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 Cambridge (43.3601°, -80.3127°, elevation 272 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. 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).