Sarnia weather in January

In January, Sarnia sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 57 mm of precipitation across 9.6 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 10% 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 Sarnia's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sarnia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
1st coldest
Precipitation
57 mm
9.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:04 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sarnia is city in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
440/km²
people per km²
Founded
1830

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 Sarnia 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 about 1°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-5
20-5
30-5
40-6
50-6
60-6
70-6
80-6
9-1-6
10-1-6
11-1-7
12-1-7
13-1-7
14-1-7
15-1-7
16-1-7
17-1-7
18-1-8
19-1-8
20-1-8
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 Sarnia

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.

Sarnia 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°579.67.39.20.0
Feb / -7°518.46.310.20.0
Mar / -3°579.64.611.60.3
Apr11° / 8511.41.813.12.7
May18° / 10°8512014.45.4
Jun24° / 16°8710.8015.16.7
Jul26° / 18°7111014.86.6
Aug25° / 18°7010.4013.86.9
Sep21° / 14°739.1012.36.7
Oct15° / 7710.80.110.84.3
Nov / 669.72.49.51.2
Dec / -3°569.45.68.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 80%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
21981
31981
41981
51882
61882
71981
81981
91882
101882
111882
121882
131882
141882
151882
161882
171783
181882
191882
201981
212080
222080
232080
242080
252080
262179
272179
282278
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sarnia gets around 57 mm of rain and snow over 9.6 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 31% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13221
23221
33322
43322
53423
63423
73424
83424
93424
103425
113425
123325
133325
143225
153225
163125
173124
183024
193024
202924
212924
222824
232823
242823
252823
262723
272723
282722
292722
302722
312722

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 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light 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 8:06 AM to 7:54 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:064:59
28.98:075:00
38.98:075:01
48.98:075:02
58.98:075:02
68.98:075:03
79.08:065:04
89.08:065:05
99.08:065:06
109.08:065:07
119.08:065:08
129.18:065:09
139.18:055:10
149.18:055:11
159.18:055:13
169.28:045:14
179.28:045:15
189.28:035:16
199.28:035:17
209.38:025:18
219.38:025:20
229.38:015:21
239.48:005:22
249.48:005:23
259.47:595:24
269.57:585:26
279.57:575:27
289.57:575:28
299.67:565:29
309.67:555:31
319.67:545:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.36 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.73 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
242.0Dim
252.0Dim
262.0Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Sarnia?

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 Sarnia.

What to pack for Sarnia in January

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

In January, Sarnia sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Sarnia 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 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 19 to Sep 8 — about 1.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May7Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul20Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep20Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Sarnia in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sarnia peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 20UV 9Dec 20UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sarnia?

Sarnia sits at 43.0°N, 82.4°W, 185 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Port Huron, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Sarnia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sarnia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 19 m around an average of 182 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 216 m.

The land around Sarnia is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, cropland (27%), trees (25%) and water (24%) within 16 km, and cropland (45%) and water (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
19 m
16 km
69 m
80 km
216 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Port Huron 2.0 km · Mount Clemens 57 km · Clinton Township 61 km · Shelby 62 km · Strathroy 64 km · Chatham 65 km · Saint Clair Shores 67 km · Sterling Heights 68 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 Sarnia (42.9787°, -82.4041°, elevation 185 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).