Kelowna weather in January

In January, Kelowna sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 59 mm of precipitation across 13.5 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to 0°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kelowna's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kelowna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
1st coldest
Precipitation
59 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
7:57 AM – 4:17 PM
Cloud cover
75%
10th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
1.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kelowna is city in British Columbia, Canada.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
683/km²
people per km²
Founded
1859

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to 0°C by the end.

A typical January day in Kelowna reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°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 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°C cooler than February.

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-2-6
2-2-6
3-2-6
4-2-6
5-2-7
6-1-7
7-1-7
8-1-7
9-1-7
10-1-7
11-1-6
12-1-6
13-1-6
14-1-6
15-1-6
16-1-6
17-1-6
18-1-6
190-6
200-6
210-6
220-6
230-6
240-6
250-6
260-6
270-6
280-6
290-6
300-6
311-6

How January really feels in Kelowna

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Kelowna weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -6°5913.5138.40.0
Feb / -6°411099.70.0
Mar / -3°5511.58.111.50.4
Apr10° / 439.72.913.52.3
May15° / 519.90.315.14.5
Jun18° / 519.20165.8
Jul23° / 12°305.3015.77.7
Aug23° / 13°255.2014.37.9
Sep18° / 437.70.112.46.3
Oct11° / 6912.11.610.52.6
Nov / -1°8715.59.98.80.1
Dec-0° / -5°6613.514.280.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31981
41981
51981
62080
72080
82080
92278
102278
112278
122278
132278
142278
152377
162476
172575
182575
192674
202674
212674
222674
232674
242674
252872
262872
272872
282773
292773
302872
312971

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kelowna gets around 59 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 43% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14547
24647
34647
44647
54546
64545
74545
84544
94444
104444
114443
124443
134342
144342
154342
164341
174241
184241
194240
204240
214240
224240
234240
244240
254240
264239
274139
284139
294038
304038
313937

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 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 54 min 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 66 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:03 AM to 7:43 AM, and sunset from 3:59 PM to 4:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.98:033:59
28.08:034:00
38.08:034:01
48.08:034:02
58.08:024:03
68.08:024:04
78.18:024:06
88.18:024:07
98.18:014:08
108.18:014:09
118.28:004:10
128.28:004:12
138.27:594:13
148.37:594:14
158.37:584:16
168.37:574:17
178.47:574:18
188.47:564:20
198.47:554:21
208.57:544:23
218.57:544:24
228.67:534:26
238.67:524:27
248.67:514:29
258.77:504:30
268.77:494:32
278.87:474:33
288.87:464:35
298.97:454:37
308.97:444:38
319.07:434:40

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.86 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.22 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kelowna?

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 Kelowna.

What to pack for Kelowna in January

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

In January, Kelowna sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Kelowna 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 Kelowna peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 15 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 highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 15UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Kelowna 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 Kelowna is worst in August — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 10.1× the cleanest month (January, 3 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kelowna's WHO annual average of 12 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodAug 1231 µg/m³Jan 193 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan3Good
Feb4Good
Mar4Good
Apr4Good
May4Good
Jun5Good
Jul26Moderate
Aug33Moderate
Sep6Good
Oct30Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kelowna?

Kelowna sits at 49.9°N, 119.5°W, 350 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is West Kelowna, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Kelowna

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kelowna has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 m around an average of 361 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,343 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,082 m.

The land around Kelowna is covered by artificial surfaces (39%) and water (30%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
276 m
16 km
1,343 m
80 km
2,082 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: West Kelowna 7.0 km · Okanagan Mission 7.0 km · Rutland 7.0 km · Lake Country 15 km · Vernon 45 km · Penticton 45 km · Salmon Arm 92 km · Kamloops 105 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 Kelowna (49.8831°, -119.4857°, elevation 350 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).