St. Catharines weather in January

In January, St. Catharines sees average daytime highs of -0°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 75 mm of precipitation across 11.9 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-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 St. Catharines's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see St. Catharines's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-0°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
75 mm
11.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:52 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
83%
12th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

St. Catharines is city in Ontario, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,410/km²
people per km²
Founded
1783

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 St. Catharines reaches about -0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-3
21-4
31-4
41-4
51-4
61-4
71-4
81-4
90-5
100-5
110-5
120-5
130-5
140-5
150-5
160-6
170-6
18-1-6
19-1-6
20-1-6
21-1-6
22-1-6
23-1-6
24-1-6
25-1-6
26-1-6
27-1-6
28-1-6
29-1-6
30-1-6
31-1-6

How January really feels in St. Catharines

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
27 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

St. Catharines 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-0° / -5°7511.999.20.0
Feb-0° / -6°599710.20.0
Mar / -2°7310.44.611.60.1
Apr / 9711.71.813.11.8
May15° / 10°8311.4014.44.5
Jun21° / 16°9111.1015.16.4
Jul25° / 20°8810.8014.96.9
Aug24° / 19°759.9013.87.1
Sep21° / 16°859.8012.36.5
Oct14° / 9212.10.110.84.1
Nov / 8210.829.51.3
Dec / -1°7711.66.68.90.0

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 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31288
41288
51090
61090
71090
81090
91090
101189
111189
121189
131288
141189
151189
161189
171189
181387
191387
201387
211387
221387
231486
241585
251585
261684
271684
281783
291783
301783
311882

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

St. Catharines gets around 75 mm of rain and snow over 11.9 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 38% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14024
24125
34126
44226
54227
64228
74328
84329
94329
104230
114230
124130
134030
143930
153930
163830
173830
183730
193629
203629
213529
223529
233429
243429
253429
263429
273329
283329
293328
303328
313228

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light 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 7:54 AM to 7:42 AM, and sunset from 4:46 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:544:46
28.97:554:47
38.97:554:47
48.97:554:48
58.97:554:49
68.97:554:50
78.97:544:51
89.07:544:52
99.07:544:53
109.07:544:54
119.07:544:55
129.07:544:56
139.17:534:57
149.17:534:58
159.17:534:59
169.17:525:00
179.27:525:02
189.27:515:03
199.27:515:04
209.37:505:05
219.37:495:06
229.37:495:07
239.37:485:09
249.47:485:10
259.47:475:11
269.47:465:12
279.57:455:14
289.57:445:15
299.57:445:16
309.67:435:18
319.67:425:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.6 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
292.0Dim
302.0Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit St. Catharines?

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
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in St. Catharines.

What to pack for St. Catharines in January

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

In January, St. Catharines sees daytime highs around -0°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near St. Catharines in January

The nearest coast averages about 4°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 22°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 17 to Sep 6 — about 1.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr4Bracing
May7Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul20Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in St. Catharines 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 St. Catharines 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 St. Catharines?

St. Catharines sits at 43.2°N, 79.2°W, 102 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Thorold, 7.0 km away.

Topography around St. Catharines

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around St. Catharines has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m around an average of 100 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 193 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 483 m.

The land around St. Catharines is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, water (33%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and water (41%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
47 m
16 km
193 m
80 km
483 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Thorold 7.0 km · Niagara-on-the-Lake 16 km · Niagara Falls 16 km · Niagara Falls 17 km · Welland 21 km · Grimsby 26 km · Grand Island 27 km · Port Colborne 30 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 St. Catharines (43.1713°, -79.2427°, elevation 102 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).