St. John's weather in January

In January, St. John's sees average daytime highs of -0°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 125 mm of precipitation across 14.4 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -0°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is St. John's's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see St. John's's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-0°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
125 mm
14.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 36 min
7:51 AM – 4:29 PM
Cloud cover
82%
11th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

St. John's is capital and largest city of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 5 µg/m³ · 2019
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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -0°C through the month.

A typical January day in St. John's 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 -6°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)
11-5
20-5
30-5
40-5
50-5
60-5
70-5
80-5
90-5
100-5
110-6
120-6
130-6
140-6
150-6
160-6
170-6
180-6
190-6
200-6
21-1-6
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 St. John's

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.

St. John's 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-0° / -6°12514.411.68.70.0
Feb-1° / -7°10312.8109.90.0
Mar / -5°10512.98.711.60.0
Apr / -1°8712.25.413.30.1
May / 7211.21.214.91.6
Jun13° / 6610.6015.73.5
Jul18° / 12°7810.5015.45.6
Aug19° / 13°8010.4014.15.9
Sep16° / 10°9310.7012.44.7
Oct11° / 10512.50.310.62.4
Nov / 11013.639.10.6
Dec / -3°12715.38.88.30.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21486
31585
41684
51684
61585
71684
81684
91684
101783
111882
121882
131882
141882
151882
161783
171783
181783
191783
201783
211783
221783
231882
241882
251783
261783
271783
281783
291783
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

St. John's gets around 125 mm of rain and snow over 14.4 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 47% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14737
24737
34738
44738
54738
64738
74738
84838
94838
104839
114839
124839
134839
144839
154839
164839
174738
184738
194637
204637
214637
224637
234636
244636
254536
264536
274536
284535
294535
304535
314635

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 23 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 12 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 7:55 AM to 7:38 AM, and sunset from 4:13 PM to 4:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.37:554:13
28.37:554:14
38.37:554:15
48.37:554:16
58.47:554:16
68.47:554:18
78.47:554:19
88.47:544:20
98.47:544:21
108.57:544:22
118.57:544:23
128.57:534:24
138.57:534:25
148.67:524:27
158.67:524:28
168.67:514:29
178.77:514:30
188.77:504:32
198.77:494:33
208.87:484:34
218.87:484:36
228.87:474:37
238.97:464:39
248.97:454:40
259.07:444:41
269.07:434:43
279.07:424:44
289.17:414:46
299.17:404:47
309.27:394:49
319.27:384:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.93 kWh/m² to a high of 5.18 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.26 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit St. John's?

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
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in St. John's.

What to pack for St. John's in January

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

In January, St. John's sees daytime highs around -0°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near St. John's 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in March near -0°C.

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

0°5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan1Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May3Bracing
Jun6Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep12Bracing
Oct9Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in St. John's 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. John's peaks around June 14 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 14UV 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is St. John's?

St. John's sits at 47.6°N, 52.7°W, 35 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Mount Pearl, 8.0 km away.

Corner BrookGlace BaySydneyNew Glasgow

Topography around St. John's

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around St. John's has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 232 m around an average of 67 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 261 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 327 m.

The land around St. John's is covered by trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (37%) within 16 km, and water (59%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
232 m
16 km
261 m
80 km
327 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Mount Pearl 8.0 km · Paradise 14 km · Conception Bay South 23 km · Saint-Pierre 276 km · Corner Brook 417 km · Glace Bay 571 km · Sydney 590 km · New Glasgow 790 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. John's (47.5649°, -52.7093°, elevation 35 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).