Courtenay weather in January

In January, Courtenay sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 299 mm of precipitation across 19.8 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 5°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Courtenay's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Courtenay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
299 mm
19.8 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
8:19 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
78%
11th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
0.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Courtenay is city in British Columbia, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
877/km²
people per km²
Founded
1969

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 5°C through the month.

A typical January day in Courtenay reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
152
252
352
452
552
652
752
852
952
1052
1152
1253
1353
1453
1553
1653
1753
1863
1963
2063
2163
2263
2363
2463
2563
2663
2763
2863
2963
3063
3163

How January really feels in Courtenay

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 8 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
8
wind chill below the day's low

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

Courtenay weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 29919.86.58.40.1
Feb / 17915.25.29.80.5
Mar / 20517.94.811.51.1
Apr11° / 13415.10.613.42.4
May15° / 8211.1015.14.6
Jun18° / 12°7411.30165.6
Jul21° / 14°477.8015.77.0
Aug21° / 15°678.2014.27.0
Sep18° / 12°11110.6012.45.6
Oct12° / 23918.30.110.52.7
Nov / 32620.33.28.80.9
Dec / 30220.36.980.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32278
42278
52377
62377
72377
82278
92377
102377
112278
122377
132377
142278
152278
162377
172377
182377
192377
202377
212278
222278
232278
242278
252278
262476
272476
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Courtenay gets around 299 mm of rain and snow over 19.8 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 64% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16623
26623
36622
46522
56522
66522
76522
86522
96522
106522
116522
126522
136522
146522
156421
166421
176421
186321
196320
206320
216320
226320
236320
246319
256319
266319
276219
286219
296219
306118
316018

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.

051015151015202531
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 8 hours at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:24 AM to 8:04 AM, and sunset from 4:22 PM to 5:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:244:22
28.08:244:23
38.08:244:24
48.08:244:25
58.08:234:26
68.18:234:27
78.18:234:29
88.18:234:30
98.18:224:31
108.28:224:32
118.28:224:33
128.28:214:35
138.38:214:36
148.38:204:37
158.38:194:38
168.48:194:40
178.48:184:41
188.48:174:43
198.58:164:44
208.58:164:46
218.58:154:47
228.68:144:49
238.68:134:50
248.78:124:52
258.78:114:53
268.78:104:55
278.88:094:56
288.88:084:58
298.98:064:59
308.98:055:01
319.08:045:03

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.66 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 0.84 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
150.8Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.8Dim
190.9Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Courtenay

In seasonPeak

In January, Courtenay sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Courtenay's rainy season runs October–March, 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 Courtenay?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Courtenay.

What to pack for Courtenay in January

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

In January, Courtenay sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 20 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Courtenay in January

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 17°C and coldest in January near 7°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Courtenay 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 Courtenay peaks around July 18 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateLowJul 18UV 7Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Courtenay?

Courtenay sits at 49.7°N, 125.0°W, 13 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Campbell River, 41 km away.

Topography around Courtenay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Courtenay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,243 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,075 m.

The land around Courtenay is covered by trees (52%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, trees (52%) and water (34%) within 16 km, and trees (68%) and water (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
108 m
16 km
1,243 m
80 km
2,075 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Campbell River 41 km · Port Alberni 51 km · Tofino 89 km · Nanaimo 96 km · Harewood 97 km · Squamish 132 km · North Cowichan 134 km · University Endowment Lands 135 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 Courtenay (49.6866°, -124.9936°, elevation 13 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).