Dawson City weather in January

In January, Dawson City sees average daytime highs of -22°C and overnight lows near -28°C, with 10 mm of precipitation across 3.3 wet days and about 5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 3 h 48 min at the start of January to 6 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Dawson City's 4th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dawson City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-22°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-28°
1st coldest
Precipitation
10 mm
3.3 wet days
Daylight
4 h 54 min
11:00 AM – 3:54 PM
Cloud cover
64%
4th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
0.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Dawson City is town in Yukon Territory, Canada.

Density
42/km²
people per km²
Founded
1896

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 -22°C through the month.

A typical January day in Dawson City reaches about -22°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 -36°C and -10°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 6°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Dawson City

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.

Dawson City weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-22° / -28°103.34.250.0
Feb-16° / -23°623.17.90.0
Mar-6° / -18°82.73.411.20.0
Apr / -6°164.83.714.60.6
May14° / 399.61.317.94.0
Jun19° / 6313.5020.15.5
Jul20° / 10°7214.2019.25.6
Aug17° / 5310.9016.15.2
Sep11° / 378.81.112.72.6
Oct-1° / -8°266.96.19.30.0
Nov-15° / -21°165.16.560.0
Dec-19° / -25°144.35.43.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23961
33961
44060
54060
64060
74060
83961
93961
103862
113862
123862
133763
143763
153664
163565
173565
183565
193664
203565
213565
223763
233763
243664
253763
263763
273763
283961
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Dawson City gets around 10 mm of rain and snow over 3.3 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 12% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11114
21114
31113
41013
51013
61013
71113
81114
91114
101114
111115
121215
131215
141215
151215
161215
171215
181215
191215
201115
211114
221114
231013
241013
25912
26912
27811
28811
29710
30710
31710

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 4 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 3 h 48 min at the start of January to 6 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 156 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 11:26 AM to 10:20 AM, and sunset from 3:16 PM to 4:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
13.811:263:16
23.911:253:18
33.911:243:20
44.011:223:22
54.111:213:24
64.111:203:27
74.211:183:29
84.311:163:31
94.311:153:34
104.411:133:37
114.511:113:39
124.611:093:42
134.611:073:45
144.711:053:48
154.811:023:51
164.911:003:54
175.010:583:57
185.110:554:00
195.210:534:03
205.310:504:06
215.410:484:09
225.510:454:13
235.610:434:16
245.710:404:19
255.810:374:22
265.910:344:26
276.010:324:29
286.110:294:32
296.210:264:36
306.310:234:39
316.410:204:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.19 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.1Dim
140.2Dim
150.2Dim
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.4Dim
290.4Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Dawson City?

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
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dawson City.

What to pack for Dawson City in January

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

In January, Dawson City sees daytime highs around -22°C and nights near -28°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 3 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Dawson City 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 Dawson City peaks around June 22 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateModerateLowJun 22UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low

Air quality in Dawson City 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 Dawson City is worst in July — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 127.7× the cleanest month (January, 0 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodJul 1938 µg/m³Jan 10 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan0Good
Feb1Good
Mar3Good
Apr6Good
May16Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul38Poor
Aug34Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct1Good
Nov0Good
Dec0Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dawson City?

Dawson City sits at 64.1°N, 139.4°W, 0 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Badger, 397 km away.

WhitehorseJuneauTerraceYellowknife

Topography around Dawson City

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dawson City has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 562 m around an average of 464 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,992 m.

The land around Dawson City is covered by trees (77%) within 3 km, trees (93%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
562 m
16 km
892 m
80 km
1,992 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Badger 397 km · Fairbanks 406 km · Whitehorse 435 km · Eagle River 599 km · Anchorage 620 km · Juneau 694 km · Terrace 1,223 km · Yellowknife 1,258 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 Dawson City (64.0601°, -139.4333°, 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).