Sault Ste. Marie weather in January

In January, Sault Ste. Marie sees average daytime highs of -6°C and overnight lows near -14°C, with 46 mm of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -5°C in the first days to -6°C by the end. 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 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sault Ste. Marie's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sault Ste. Marie's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-6°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-14°
1st coldest
Precipitation
46 mm
10.2 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
8:24 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
79%
11th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sault Ste. Marie is city in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
323/km²
people per km²
Founded
1888

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 -5°C in the first days to -6°C by the end.

A typical January day in Sault Ste. Marie reaches about -6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -14°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -14°C and 1°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Sault Ste. Marie

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.

Sault Ste. Marie 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-6° / -14°4610.212.28.80.0
Feb-5° / -13°357.58.1100.0
Mar / -8°468.36.811.60.0
Apr / -1°6710.2413.31.2
May15° / 72100.314.84.4
Jun20° / 11°819.8015.56.3
Jul23° / 15°10111.5015.26.7
Aug22° / 14°9510.90146.6
Sep18° / 10°10812.1012.45.4
Oct11° / 10113.70.510.72.4
Nov / -2°6711.26.69.20.1
Dec-2° / -9°5611118.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31585
41585
51585
61585
71585
81585
91684
101684
111684
121684
131783
141783
151783
161783
171882
181882
191981
201981
212080
222080
232179
242179
252278
262377
272377
282377
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sault Ste. Marie gets around 46 mm of rain and snow over 10.2 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13541
23541
33542
43542
53542
63542
73542
83441
93441
103441
113441
123440
133340
143340
153339
163339
173239
183238
193238
203238
213238
223237
233237
243237
253137
263136
273136
283135
293035
303034
312933

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 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
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
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:27 AM to 8:11 AM, and sunset from 4:54 PM to 5:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:274:54
28.58:274:54
38.58:274:55
48.58:274:56
58.58:274:57
68.58:274:58
78.58:274:59
88.68:275:00
98.68:275:01
108.68:265:02
118.68:265:04
128.78:265:05
138.78:255:06
148.78:255:07
158.78:245:08
168.88:245:10
178.88:235:11
188.88:235:12
198.98:225:13
208.98:215:15
218.98:215:16
229.08:205:17
239.08:195:19
249.08:185:20
259.18:175:21
269.18:165:23
279.18:155:24
289.28:145:26
299.28:135:27
309.38:125:29
319.38:115:30

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.52 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.46 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
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.3Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
312.0Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Sault Ste. Marie?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sault Ste. Marie.

What to pack for Sault Ste. Marie in January

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

In January, Sault Ste. Marie sees daytime highs around -6°C and nights near -14°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 Sault Ste. Marie in January

The nearest coast averages about 1°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 19°C and coldest in February near 1°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan1Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar1Bracing
Apr2Bracing
May5Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct11Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie peaks around June 18 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sault Ste. Marie?

Sault Ste. Marie sits at 46.5°N, 84.3°W, 186 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Sault Ste. Marie, 3.0 km away.

TimminsMidland

Topography around Sault Ste. Marie

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sault Ste. Marie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 198 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 263 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 491 m.

The land around Sault Ste. Marie is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (65%) within 16 km, and trees (65%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
263 m
80 km
491 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sault Ste. Marie 3.0 km · Mackinac Island 77 km · Traverse City 219 km · Marquette 234 km · Valley East 255 km · Greater Sudbury 256 km · Timmins 313 km · Midland 323 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 Sault Ste. Marie (46.5168°, -84.3333°, elevation 186 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).