Niagara Falls weather in January

In January, Niagara Falls sees average daytime highs of -0°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 74 mm of precipitation across 12.5 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-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 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 Niagara Falls's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Niagara Falls's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-0°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
74 mm
12.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:51 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
83%
12th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Niagara Falls is city located in the province of Ontario, Canada.

Density
476/km²
people per km²
Founded
1903

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 Niagara Falls reaches about -0°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 7°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)
11-4
21-4
31-4
41-5
51-5
60-5
70-5
80-5
90-5
100-5
110-6
120-6
130-6
140-6
15-1-6
16-1-6
17-1-6
18-1-7
19-1-7
20-1-7
21-1-7
22-1-7
23-1-7
24-1-7
25-1-7
26-1-7
27-1-7
28-1-7
29-1-7
30-1-7
31-1-7

How January really feels in Niagara Falls

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.

Niagara Falls weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-0° / -6°7412.5109.20.0
Feb / -6°6010.27.910.20.0
Mar / -3°7511.45.611.60.2
Apr11° / 9512.21.913.12.5
May18° / 10°8712.4014.45.2
Jun23° / 16°10012.3015.16.5
Jul25° / 19°10312.6014.96.5
Aug25° / 18°8611013.86.8
Sep21° / 14°8510.4012.36.5
Oct14° / 9312.60.110.84.0
Nov / 7911.83.19.51.3
Dec / -2°7812.87.48.90.0

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 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
31090
41090
5991
6991
7991
81090
91090
101090
111189
121288
131288
141387
151387
161387
171387
181387
191486
201486
211486
221486
231585
241585
251585
261684
271684
281783
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Niagara Falls gets around 74 mm of rain and snow over 12.5 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 40% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14328
24329
34329
44429
54430
64430
74431
84432
94432
104332
114333
124233
134132
144132
154032
164032
173932
183932
193832
203833
213733
223733
233733
243733
253632
263632
273632
283632
293632
303532
313531

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light 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 7:53 AM to 7:41 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:534:45
28.97:544:46
38.97:544:47
48.97:544:48
58.97:544:49
68.97:544:50
79.07:544:51
89.07:534:52
99.07:534:52
109.07:534:54
119.07:534:55
129.07:534:56
139.17:524:57
149.17:524:58
159.17:524:59
169.17:515:00
179.27:515:01
189.27:505:02
199.27:505:03
209.37:495:05
219.37:495:06
229.37:485:07
239.37:475:08
249.47:475:09
259.47:465:11
269.47:455:12
279.57:445:13
289.57:435:14
299.67:435:16
309.67:425:17
319.67:415:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
282.0Dim
292.0Moderate
302.0Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Niagara Falls?

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 Niagara Falls.

What to pack for Niagara Falls in January

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

In January, Niagara Falls sees daytime highs around -0°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Niagara Falls in January

The nearest coast averages about 3°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 25 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 4 to Sep 20 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct16Cool
Nov10Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Niagara Falls 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 Niagara Falls peaks around June 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 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 19UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Niagara Falls?

Niagara Falls sits at 43.1°N, 79.1°W, 184 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Niagara Falls, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Niagara Falls

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Niagara Falls has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 133 m around an average of 176 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 145 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 557 m.

The land around Niagara Falls is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (34%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and water (41%) and trees (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
133 m
16 km
145 m
80 km
557 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Niagara Falls 1.0 km · Thorold 11 km · Grand Island 11 km · St. Catharines 16 km · Niagara-on-the-Lake 17 km · North Tonawanda 18 km · Welland 20 km · Kenmore 22 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 Niagara Falls (43.1001°, -79.0663°, elevation 184 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).