Sylvan Lake weather in January

In January, Sylvan Lake sees average daytime highs of -5°C and overnight lows near -15°C, with 17 mm of precipitation across 4.9 wet days and about 8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -6°C in the first days to -4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 30 min at the start of January to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sylvan Lake's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sylvan Lake's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-5°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-15°
1st coldest
Precipitation
17 mm
4.9 wet days
Daylight
8 hours
8:47 AM – 4:44 PM
Cloud cover
66%
8th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sylvan Lake is town in Alberta, Canada.

Density
748/km²
people per km²
Founded
1946

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 -6°C in the first days to -4°C by the end.

A typical January day in Sylvan Lake reaches about -5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -15°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -19°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Sylvan Lake

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.

Sylvan Lake 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-5° / -15°174.95.980.0
Feb-3° / -13°113.34.59.50.0
Mar / -8°205.55.411.50.0
Apr10° / -2°337.4413.62.1
May16° / 6310.11.815.44.7
Jun19° / 9114.3016.45.4
Jul22° / 10°8413.20166.2
Aug21° / 6810.3014.56.6
Sep17° / 438.40.712.45.4
Oct / -1°2562.510.32.1
Nov / -8°215.55.38.50.0
Dec-4° / -13°154.75.57.50.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23763
33763
43763
53664
63664
73664
83763
93664
103763
113763
123763
133763
143862
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
203862
213862
223961
233961
243961
253961
263961
273961
283961
293862
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sylvan Lake gets around 17 mm of rain and snow over 4.9 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 16% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11720
21720
31720
41821
51821
61821
71821
81921
91921
101921
111921
121921
131821
141821
151820
161720
171719
181619
191618
201518
211417
221417
231317
241316
251316
261216
271215
281215
291215
301115
311114

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 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 30 min at the start of January to 8 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:53 AM to 8:30 AM, and sunset from 4:25 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.58:534:25
27.68:534:26
37.68:534:28
47.68:534:29
57.68:534:30
67.68:534:31
77.78:524:32
87.78:524:33
97.78:514:35
107.78:514:36
117.88:504:37
127.88:504:39
137.88:494:40
147.98:484:41
157.98:484:43
168.08:474:44
178.08:464:46
188.08:454:47
198.18:444:49
208.18:434:51
218.28:424:52
228.28:414:54
238.38:404:56
248.38:394:57
258.48:384:59
268.48:375:01
278.58:355:02
288.58:345:04
298.68:335:06
308.68:315:08
318.78:305:10

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.0Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
61.0Dim
71.0Dim
81.0Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Sylvan Lake?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sylvan Lake.

What to pack for Sylvan Lake in January

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

In January, Sylvan Lake sees daytime highs around -5°C and nights near -15°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Sylvan Lake 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 Sylvan Lake peaks around July 15 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateLowJul 15UV 7Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Sylvan Lake in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Sylvan Lake is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1118 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May12Good
Jun11Good
Jul17Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sylvan Lake?

Sylvan Lake sits at 52.3°N, 114.1°W, 940 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Red Deer, 20 km away.

Topography around Sylvan Lake

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sylvan Lake has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 m around an average of 950 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 186 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 645 m.

The land around Sylvan Lake is covered by grassland (31%) and water (24%) within 3 km, cropland (51%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (37%), cropland (36%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
69 m
16 km
186 m
80 km
645 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Red Deer 20 km · Leduc 112 km · Airdrie 112 km · Camrose 115 km · Coventry Hills 127 km · Evanston 128 km · Cochrane 128 km · Panorama Hills 129 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 Sylvan Lake (52.311°, -114.0837°, elevation 940 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).