London weather in January

In January, London sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 72 mm of precipitation across 11.7 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. 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 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is London's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see London's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
72 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:59 AM – 5:09 PM
Cloud cover
82%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

London is city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,004/km²
people per km²
Founded
1826

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 -1°C through the month.

A typical January day in London reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -9°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-6
20-7
30-7
40-7
50-7
6-1-7
7-1-7
8-1-7
9-1-8
10-1-8
11-1-8
12-1-8
13-1-8
14-1-8
15-1-9
16-1-9
17-2-9
18-2-9
19-2-9
20-2-9
21-2-9
22-2-9
23-2-9
24-2-9
25-2-9
26-2-9
27-2-9
28-2-9
29-2-9
30-2-9
31-1-9

How January really feels in London

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.

London 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° / -8°7211.79.69.20.0
Feb-0° / -9°589.58.210.20.0
Mar / -4°7010.95.711.60.4
Apr12° / 9312.42.213.13.1
May19° / 9812.5014.45.6
Jun24° / 14°10212015.16.5
Jul26° / 16°10011.9014.86.5
Aug25° / 15°8410.6013.86.8
Sep21° / 11°869.7012.36.6
Oct14° / 8611.80.210.84.1
Nov / 7711.13.99.51.0
Dec / -5°6811.28.18.90.0

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 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 84%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21387
31387
41387
51387
61387
71387
81486
91387
101387
111387
121387
131486
141486
151585
161684
171684
181684
191684
201783
211783
221783
231783
241783
251981
261981
271981
282080
292179
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

London gets around 72 mm of rain and snow over 11.7 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 37% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13828
23829
33929
43929
54030
64030
74130
84131
94131
104131
114031
124032
133932
143931
153831
163831
173731
183731
193631
203631
213531
223531
233531
243431
253431
263430
273430
283430
293430
303430
313430

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 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 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:02 AM to 7:49 AM, and sunset from 4:54 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:024:54
28.98:024:55
38.98:024:56
48.98:024:57
58.98:024:58
68.98:024:59
79.08:025:00
89.08:025:01
99.08:025:02
109.08:015:03
119.08:015:04
129.18:015:05
139.18:015:06
149.18:005:07
159.18:005:08
169.27:595:09
179.27:595:10
189.27:595:11
199.27:585:12
209.37:575:14
219.37:575:15
229.37:565:16
239.47:565:17
249.47:555:18
259.47:545:20
269.57:535:21
279.57:535:22
289.57:525:23
299.67:515:25
309.67:505:26
319.67:495:27

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.32 kWh/m² to a high of 6.57 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.66 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
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
262.0Dim
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit London?

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 London.

What to pack for London in January

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

In January, London sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near London in January

The nearest coast averages about 2°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 41 km away) is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 5 to Sep 20 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct16Cool
Nov10Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in London 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 London peaks around June 23 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is London?

London sits at 43.0°N, 81.2°W, 252 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is St. Thomas, 24 km away.

Topography around London

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around London has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 62 m around an average of 253 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 271 m.

The land around London is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) and trees (36%) within 3 km, cropland (48%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and cropland (57%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
62 m
16 km
118 m
80 km
271 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: St. Thomas 24 km · Strathroy 32 km · Woodstock 43 km · Tillsonburg 43 km · Stratford 48 km · Norfolk County 71 km · Brant 74 km · Forest Heights 75 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 London (42.9834°, -81.233°, elevation 252 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).