Glace Bay weather in January

In January, Glace Bay sees average daytime highs of -0°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 120 mm of precipitation across 13.5 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 1°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 30 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Glace Bay's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Glace Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-0°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
120 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:45 AM – 4:33 PM
Cloud cover
86%
12th clearest
Wind
27 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Glace Bay is town in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Density
481/km²
people per km²
Founded
1785

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 1°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical January day in Glace Bay reaches about -0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -6°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C warmer than February.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-3
21-3
31-3
41-4
51-4
61-4
70-4
80-4
90-4
100-4
110-4
120-5
130-5
140-5
150-5
160-5
170-5
180-5
190-6
20-1-6
21-1-6
22-1-6
23-1-6
24-1-6
25-1-6
26-1-6
27-1-6
28-1-6
29-1-6
30-1-7
31-1-7

How January really feels in Glace Bay

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.

Glace Bay weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-0° / -5°12013.511.68.80.0
Feb-1° / -7°11311.39.3100.0
Mar / -4°11212.48.111.60.0
Apr / 11412.64.413.30.0
May / 10112.30.414.71.2
Jun13° / 10°9911.3015.53.7
Jul19° / 16°8910015.26.0
Aug20° / 17°9310.40146.3
Sep18° / 14°11311.1012.35.4
Oct12° / 13913010.73.1
Nov / 13614.12.39.21.0
Dec / -1°14415.69.28.50.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21189
31189
41189
51090
61090
71090
81090
91090
101090
111090
121090
131189
141189
151189
161288
171288
181288
191288
201288
211288
221387
231486
241486
251585
261585
271585
281684
291783
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Glace Bay gets around 120 mm of rain and snow over 13.5 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 44% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14536
24537
34537
44437
54437
64437
74437
84437
94437
104438
114538
124539
134539
144639
154639
164639
174539
184539
194539
204539
214538
224438
234438
244438
254438
264438
274437
284437
294437
304337
314337

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 27 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 26 km/h on the calmest days to 27 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
127breezy
227breezy
327breezy
427breezy
527breezy
627breezy
727breezy
827breezy
927breezy
1027breezy
1127breezy
1227breezy
1327breezy
1427breezy
1527breezy
1627breezy
1727breezy
1827breezy
1927breezy
2027breezy
2127breezy
2227breezy
2327breezy
2427breezy
2527breezy
2627breezy
2727breezy
2826breezy
2926breezy
3026breezy
3126breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 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 7:49 AM to 7:33 AM, and sunset from 4:17 PM to 4:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.57:494:17
28.57:494:18
38.57:494:19
48.57:494:20
58.57:494:21
68.67:484:22
78.67:484:23
88.67:484:24
98.67:484:25
108.67:484:26
118.77:474:27
128.77:474:28
138.77:474:30
148.77:464:31
158.87:464:32
168.87:454:33
178.87:454:34
188.97:444:36
198.97:434:37
208.97:434:38
219.07:424:40
229.07:414:41
239.07:404:42
249.17:404:44
259.17:394:45
269.17:384:46
279.27:374:48
289.27:364:49
299.37:354:51
309.37:344:52
319.37:334:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.95 kWh/m² to a high of 5.76 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.24 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Glace Bay?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Glace Bay.

What to pack for Glace Bay in January

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

In January, Glace Bay sees daytime highs around -0°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Glace Bay in January

The nearest coast averages about 1°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 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in March near -0°C.

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

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan1Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul15Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Glace Bay 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 Glace Bay peaks around June 18 at about 9 (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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Glace Bay?

Glace Bay sits at 46.2°N, 60.0°W, 15 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Sydney, 19 km away.

Topography around Glace Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Glace Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 17 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 101 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 535 m.

The land around Glace Bay is covered by water (39%), grassland (27%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, water (55%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and water (56%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
101 m
80 km
535 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Sydney 19 km · New Glasgow 219 km · Charlottetown 244 km · Saint-Pierre 296 km · Cole Harbour 323 km · Woodlawn 326 km · Dartmouth 329 km · Lower Sackville 330 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 Glace Bay (46.197°, -59.957°, elevation 15 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).