Squamish weather in January

In January, Squamish sees average daytime highs of 0°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 380 mm of precipitation across 19.3 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -0°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Squamish's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Squamish's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
380 mm
19.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
8:11 AM – 4:32 PM
Cloud cover
78%
10th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10
Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019

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 -0°C in the first days to 1°C by the end.

A typical January day in Squamish reaches about 0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-4
20-4
30-4
40-4
50-4
60-4
70-4
80-4
90-4
100-4
110-3
120-3
130-3
140-3
150-3
160-3
171-3
181-3
191-3
201-3
211-3
221-3
231-3
241-3
251-3
261-3
271-3
281-3
291-3
301-3
311-3

How January really feels in Squamish

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
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Squamish weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°38019.3198.40.0
Feb / -3°23515.315.19.80.0
Mar / -2°30819.418.511.50.0
Apr / 19216.513.313.40.6
May11° / 13215.55.415.12.3
Jun14° / 12716.71.2163.4
Jul18° / 8811.2015.75.7
Aug18° / 10°10610.8014.25.9
Sep15° / 15011.90.912.44.3
Oct / 29417.18.510.51.4
Nov / -1°4162017.28.80.0
Dec / -3°37419.519.580.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22278
32278
42278
52476
62377
72377
82377
92377
102377
112278
122377
132377
142377
152377
162278
172377
182377
192377
202377
212377
222278
232377
242377
252377
262377
272377
282377
292377
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Squamish gets around 380 mm of rain and snow over 19.3 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 62% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days, and about 19 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16464
26464
36464
46464
56464
66464
76464
86464
96363
106363
116363
126363
136363
146262
156261
166161
176160
186160
196059
206059
216059
226059
236059
246159
256159
266059
276059
286058
296058
305958
315957

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:17 AM to 7:57 AM, and sunset from 4:15 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.08:174:15
28.08:174:16
38.08:164:17
48.08:164:18
58.08:164:19
68.18:164:20
78.18:164:21
88.18:154:22
98.18:154:23
108.28:154:25
118.28:144:26
128.28:144:27
138.38:134:28
148.38:134:30
158.38:124:31
168.48:114:32
178.48:114:34
188.48:104:35
198.58:094:37
208.58:084:38
218.58:074:40
228.68:074:41
238.68:064:43
248.78:054:44
258.78:044:46
268.78:034:47
278.88:014:49
288.88:004:50
298.97:594:52
308.97:584:54
319.07:574:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.79 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 0.96 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.9Dim
90.9Dim
100.9Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.1Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Squamish

In seasonPeak

In January, Squamish sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Squamish's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Squamish?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Squamish.

What to pack for Squamish in January

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

In January, Squamish sees daytime highs around 0°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Squamish in January

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 39 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in January near 7°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Squamish 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 Squamish peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 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 highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Squamish?

Squamish sits at 49.7°N, 123.2°W, 5 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is West Vancouver, 41 km away.

Topography around Squamish

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Squamish has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 862 m around an average of 138 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,258 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,830 m.

The land around Squamish is covered by trees (66%) within 3 km, trees (79%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and water (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
862 m
16 km
2,258 m
80 km
2,830 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: West Vancouver 41 km · Central Lonsdale 42 km · North Vancouver 43 km · Lower Lonsdale 43 km · West End 46 km · Downtown Vancouver 46 km · Downtown Eastside 47 km · Chinatown 47 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 Squamish (49.6992°, -123.1563°, elevation 5 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).