Hamilton weather in January

In January, Hamilton sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 11.4 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-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 8% 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 Hamilton's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hamilton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:55 AM – 5:03 PM
Cloud cover
80%
12th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Hamilton is city in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1846

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 Hamilton reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -7°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-5
21-5
31-5
41-5
50-5
60-6
70-6
80-6
90-6
100-6
110-6
120-6
130-7
140-7
15-1-7
16-1-7
17-1-7
18-1-7
19-1-7
20-1-7
21-1-8
22-1-8
23-1-8
24-1-8
25-1-8
26-1-8
27-1-8
28-1-8
29-1-8
30-1-8
31-1-8

How January really feels in Hamilton

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.

Hamilton 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° / -7°7111.48.19.20.0
Feb / -7°568.56.410.20.0
Mar / -3°699.94.511.60.2
Apr11° / 9411.51.813.22.4
May17° / 8311.2014.55.1
Jun22° / 15°8611.6015.16.5
Jul26° / 18°7710014.96.8
Aug25° / 18°699.4013.87.0
Sep21° / 14°779.3012.36.7
Oct15° / 8511010.84.2
Nov / 7910.32.19.51.2
Dec / -3°7110.55.88.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31585
41585
51585
61585
71585
81486
91486
101486
111585
121684
131684
141684
151684
161684
171684
181684
191882
201882
211981
221981
232080
242080
252179
262080
272080
282179
292278
302278
312377

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Hamilton gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 11.4 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 36% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13722
23823
33923
43924
54025
64025
74126
84127
94127
104127
114028
124028
133928
143828
153827
163727
173627
183627
193527
203426
213426
223326
233226
243225
253225
263124
273124
283124
293124
303023
313023

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light 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 7:57 AM to 7:44 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.87:574:48
28.97:574:49
38.97:574:50
48.97:574:50
58.97:574:51
68.97:574:52
78.97:574:53
89.07:574:54
99.07:574:55
109.07:574:56
119.07:564:57
129.07:564:58
139.17:564:59
149.17:565:00
159.17:555:01
169.17:555:03
179.27:545:04
189.27:545:05
199.27:535:06
209.27:535:07
219.37:525:08
229.37:525:10
239.37:515:11
249.47:505:12
259.47:495:13
269.47:495:15
279.57:485:16
289.57:475:17
299.57:465:19
309.67:455:20
319.67:445:21

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
272.0Dim
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Hamilton?

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 Hamilton.

What to pack for Hamilton in January

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

In January, Hamilton sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -7°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 Hamilton 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 23 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton peaks around June 22 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 22UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Hamilton?

Hamilton sits at 43.3°N, 79.8°W, 95 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Stoney Creek, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Hamilton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hamilton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 144 m around an average of 125 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 235 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 457 m.

The land around Hamilton is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, trees (28%) and cropland (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (31%), water (29%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
144 m
16 km
235 m
80 km
457 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Stoney Creek 8.0 km · Waterdown 10 km · Ancaster 12 km · Burlington 15 km · Grimsby 24 km · Oakville 26 km · Milton 30 km · Brantford 36 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 Hamilton (43.2501°, -79.8496°, elevation 95 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).