Medicine Hat weather in January

In January, Medicine Hat sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -12°C, with 15 mm of precipitation across 5 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -4°C in the first days to -2°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Medicine Hat's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Medicine Hat's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-12°
1st coldest
Precipitation
15 mm
5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
8:23 AM – 4:41 PM
Cloud cover
63%
11th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Medicine Hat is city in southeast Alberta, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
564/km²
people per km²
Founded
1894

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 -4°C in the first days to -2°C by the end.

A typical January day in Medicine Hat reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -12°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -17°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Medicine Hat

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.

Medicine Hat 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-3° / -12°1555.78.30.0
Feb-1° / -11°124.24.39.70.0
Mar / -6°205.64.711.50.5
Apr12° / 357.12.813.53.3
May18° / 539.41.115.15.7
Jun22° / 10°8611.1016.16.4
Jul26° / 12°396.8015.77.5
Aug26° / 12°396.6014.37.6
Sep20° / 346.10.312.47.0
Oct12° / 265.41.510.53.7
Nov / -6°215.64.98.80.2
Dec-2° / -10°154.65.27.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54060
64159
74159
84159
94159
104159
114159
124258
134060
144060
154159
164159
174159
184159
194159
204060
214060
224060
234060
244060
254159
264159
274159
284258
294258
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Medicine Hat gets around 15 mm of rain and snow over 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 16% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11820
21820
31820
41820
51820
61720
71720
81720
91720
101719
111719
121719
131719
141718
151618
161618
171618
181617
191617
201517
211517
221516
231516
241516
251516
261416
271416
281415
291415
301415
311515

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 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 54 min at the start of January to 8 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:28 AM to 8:08 AM, and sunset from 4:24 PM to 5:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.98:284:24
27.98:284:24
38.08:284:25
48.08:284:26
58.08:284:27
68.08:284:29
78.08:274:30
88.18:274:31
98.18:274:32
108.18:264:33
118.18:264:34
128.28:254:36
138.28:254:37
148.28:244:38
158.38:244:40
168.38:234:41
178.38:224:42
188.48:214:44
198.48:214:45
208.58:204:47
218.58:194:48
228.58:184:50
238.68:174:51
248.68:164:53
258.78:154:55
268.78:144:56
278.78:134:58
288.88:124:59
298.88:105:01
308.98:095:03
318.98:085:04

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.96 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.2Dim
21.2Dim
31.2Dim
41.2Dim
51.2Dim
61.2Dim
71.2Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Medicine Hat?

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 Medicine Hat.

What to pack for Medicine Hat in January

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

In January, Medicine Hat sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -12°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Medicine Hat 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 Medicine Hat peaks around July 15 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateLowJul 15UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Medicine Hat?

Medicine Hat sits at 50.0°N, 110.7°W, 673 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Lethbridge, 158 km away.

Topography around Medicine Hat

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Medicine Hat has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 91 m around an average of 690 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 195 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 880 m.

The land around Medicine Hat is covered by grassland (38%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (70%) and cropland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
91 m
16 km
195 m
80 km
880 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Lethbridge 158 km · Swift Current 207 km · Okotoks 247 km · Chestermere 248 km · Auburn Bay 251 km · Cranston 252 km · McKenzie Towne 252 km · Taradale 260 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 Medicine Hat (50.0393°, -110.6766°, elevation 673 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).