Sydney weather in January

In January, Sydney sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 118 mm of precipitation across 12.9 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -0°C in the first days to -2°C by the end. 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 30 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sydney's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sydney's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
118 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:46 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
84%
12th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sydney is community in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.6 µg/m³ · 2015
Density
3,601/km²
people per km²
Founded
1785

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 -0°C in the first days to -2°C by the end.

A typical January day in Sydney 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 on par with 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
10-1-7
11-1-7
12-1-7
13-1-7
14-1-7
15-1-7
16-1-7
17-1-8
18-1-8
19-1-8
20-1-8
21-2-8
22-2-8
23-2-8
24-2-8
25-2-8
26-2-9
27-2-9
28-2-9
29-2-9
30-2-9
31-2-9

How January really feels in Sydney

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.

Sydney weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -7°11812.9118.80.0
Feb-2° / -9°11111.29.7100.0
Mar / -5°10812.48.311.60.0
Apr / -1°10612.34.913.30.4
May11° / 8611.70.514.72.4
Jun16° / 10°8911015.54.8
Jul21° / 15°8510.5015.26.3
Aug22° / 16°8910.90146.4
Sep18° / 12°10410.5012.35.6
Oct12° / 13112.30.210.73.1
Nov / 12412.72.49.20.9
Dec / -2°13914.19.58.50.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% 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 (%)
11189
21189
31189
41189
51189
61189
71189
81189
91189
101189
111189
121189
131189
141288
151189
161189
171189
181288
191387
201387
211387
221387
231387
241585
251684
261684
271783
281783
291783
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sydney gets around 118 mm of rain and snow over 12.9 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 42% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14236
24236
34236
44236
54236
64236
74236
84236
94236
104336
114336
124337
134437
144437
154437
164437
174337
184337
194337
204336
214236
224236
234236
244236
254236
264235
274135
284135
294135
304135
314135

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 21 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 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 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:49 AM to 7:34 AM, and sunset from 4:19 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.57:494:19
28.57:494:19
38.57:494:20
48.57:494:21
58.57:494:22
68.67:494:23
78.67:494:24
88.67:494:25
98.67:494:26
108.77:484:27
118.77:484:28
128.77:484:30
138.77:474:31
148.87:474:32
158.87:464:33
168.87:464:34
178.87:454:36
188.97:454:37
198.97:444:38
208.97:434:39
219.07:434:41
229.07:424:42
239.07:414:43
249.17:404:45
259.17:394:46
269.17:394:47
279.27:384:49
289.27:374:50
299.37:364:52
309.37:354:53
319.37:344:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.34 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.96 kWh/m² to a high of 5.7 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.34 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.1Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.3Dim
131.3Dim
141.3Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.6Dim
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Sydney?

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 Sydney.

What to pack for Sydney in January

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

In January, Sydney sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Sydney 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 27 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°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°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan1Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov8Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Sydney 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 Sydney peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sydney?

Sydney sits at 46.1°N, 60.2°W, 6 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Glace Bay, 19 km away.

Topography around Sydney

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sydney has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 90 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 535 m.

The land around Sydney is covered by trees (34%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (66%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and trees (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
90 m
16 km
200 m
80 km
535 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Glace Bay 19 km · New Glasgow 201 km · Charlottetown 227 km · Cole Harbour 304 km · Woodlawn 307 km · Dartmouth 311 km · Lower Sackville 312 km · Downtown Halifax 312 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 Sydney (46.1351°, -60.1831°, elevation 6 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).