Churchill weather in January

In January, Churchill sees average daytime highs of -23°C and overnight lows near -28°C, with 10 mm of precipitation across 3.1 wet days and about 6.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 hours at the start of January to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Churchill's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Churchill's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-23°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-28°
1st coldest
Precipitation
10 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
6 h 42 min
9:06 AM – 3:46 PM
Cloud cover
87%
10th clearest
Wind
24 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Churchill is town in Manitoba, Canada.

Density
17/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 -23°C through the month.

A typical January day in Churchill reaches about -23°C in the afternoon and slips back to -28°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -32°C and -13°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-40°-30°-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-21-26
2-21-27
3-21-27
4-22-27
5-22-27
6-22-27
7-22-27
8-22-28
9-22-28
10-22-28
11-23-28
12-23-28
13-23-28
14-23-28
15-23-28
16-23-28
17-23-28
18-23-29
19-23-29
20-23-29
21-23-29
22-23-29
23-23-29
24-23-29
25-23-29
26-23-29
27-23-29
28-23-29
29-23-28
30-23-28
31-23-28

How January really feels in Churchill

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.

Churchill weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-23° / -28°103.14.46.70.0
Feb-21° / -27°933.68.80.0
Mar-15° / -22°183.95.111.40.0
Apr-6° / -13°215.35140.0
May / -4°3674.516.50.0
Jun / 457.6117.92.0
Jul14° / 679.1017.34.0
Aug14° / 8912.5015.23.8
Sep / 7211.10.712.61.8
Oct / -2°569.66.59.90.0
Nov-9° / -14°236.48.87.40.0
Dec-18° / -23°133.65.36.10.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 90%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5892
6892
7793
8793
9793
10892
11892
12892
13892
14991
151090
161090
171090
181090
191189
201090
211090
221090
231189
241090
251090
261090
271090
281090
291189
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Churchill gets around 10 mm of rain and snow over 3.1 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 10% and peaks near 11% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11015
21015
31015
41014
51014
61014
71015
81115
91115
101115
111115
121115
131115
141115
151114
161014
171014
181014
191014
201014
211014
221014
231014
241013
251013
261013
27913
28913
29912
30912
31912

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 24 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2324breezy
2424breezy
2524breezy
2624breezy
2724breezy
2824breezy
2924breezy
3024breezy
3124breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 hours at the start of January to 7 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 102 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:19 AM to 8:40 AM, and sunset from 3:21 PM to 4:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.09:193:21
26.19:183:22
36.19:183:24
46.19:173:25
56.29:173:26
66.29:163:28
76.29:153:30
86.39:153:31
96.39:143:33
106.49:133:35
116.49:123:36
126.59:113:38
136.59:103:40
146.69:093:42
156.69:073:44
166.79:063:46
176.79:053:48
186.89:033:50
196.89:023:52
206.99:003:54
217.08:593:56
227.08:573:59
237.18:554:01
247.28:544:03
257.28:524:05
267.38:504:08
277.48:484:10
287.48:464:12
297.58:444:15
307.68:424:17
317.78:404:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.36 kWh/m² to a high of 5.96 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.62 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.4Dim
20.4Dim
30.4Dim
40.4Dim
50.4Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
301.0Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Churchill?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Churchill.

What to pack for Churchill in January

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

In January, Churchill sees daytime highs around -23°C and nights near -28°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Churchill in January

The nearest coast averages about -2°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 10°C and coldest in January near -2°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

-5°0°5°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan-1Bracing
Feb-1Bracing
Mar-1Bracing
Apr-1Bracing
May-1Bracing
Jun1Bracing
Jul5Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep8Bracing
Oct4Bracing
Nov0Bracing
Dec-1Bracing

UV index in Churchill in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Churchill peaks around June 14 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 14UV 6Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Churchill 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 Churchill is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 25.5× the cleanest month (January, 1 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodAug 1315 µg/m³Jan 11 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan1Good
Feb1Good
Mar4Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun9Good
Jul12Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep7Good
Oct3Good
Nov1Good
Dec1Good
Location & terrain

Where is Churchill?

Churchill sits at 58.8°N, 94.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Prince Albert, 949 km away.

Prince AlbertYorktonKenoraWinnipegSt. James-Assiniboia EastFort Garry SouthSteinbachFort McMurray

Topography around Churchill

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Churchill has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 120 m.

The land around Churchill is covered by water (69%) within 3 km, water (64%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and water (39%), grassland (29%) and wetland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
26 m
16 km
53 m
80 km
120 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Prince Albert 949 km · Yorkton 991 km · Kenora 1,001 km · Winnipeg 1,006 km · St. James-Assiniboia East 1,007 km · Fort Garry South 1,017 km · Steinbach 1,041 km · Fort McMurray 1,043 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 Churchill (58.7681°, -94.1667°, 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. 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).