Victoria-Downtown weather in January

In January, Victoria-Downtown sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 146 mm of precipitation across 16.6 wet days and about 8.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Victoria-Downtown's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Victoria-Downtown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
146 mm
16.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
8:07 AM – 4:38 PM
Cloud cover
72%
11th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month.

A typical January day in Victoria-Downtown reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
175
275
375
475
575
675
775
875
975
1075
1175
1275
1375
1475
1575
1675
1775
1875
1975
2075
2175
2276
2376
2476
2576
2676
2776
2876
2976
3076
3176

Victoria-Downtown weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 14616.61.18.60.8
Feb / 8612.31.19.91.0
Mar / 8913.70.411.61.4
Apr10° / 5310.1013.42.3
May12° / 10°3870153.6
Jun14° / 12°275.7015.84.7
Jul16° / 13°143.1015.56.3
Aug16° / 14°223.2014.16.4
Sep15° / 12°396.5012.44.9
Oct12° / 10°10311.9010.62.9
Nov / 15316.30.491.5
Dec / 13916.21.48.20.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32872
42872
52872
62872
72971
82971
92971
102971
112872
122971
132971
142971
152872
162872
172872
182872
192971
202971
212971
222872
232872
242872
252773
262773
272773
282773
292773
302773
312872

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Victoria-Downtown gets around 146 mm of rain and snow over 16.6 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 53% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1555
2555
3555
4555
5555
6555
7555
8555
9555
10555
11555
12555
13555
14544
15544
16544
17533
18533
19523
20523
21522
22522
23522
24512
25512
26512
27502
28502
29492
30483
31483

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 18 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 06 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 8:12 AM to 7:53 AM, and sunset from 4:22 PM to 5:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.28:124:22
28.28:124:23
38.28:124:23
48.28:114:24
58.28:114:25
68.38:114:26
78.38:114:28
88.38:114:29
98.38:104:30
108.38:104:31
118.48:104:32
128.48:094:33
138.48:094:35
148.58:084:36
158.58:084:37
168.58:074:38
178.68:064:40
188.68:064:41
198.68:054:42
208.78:044:44
218.78:034:45
228.78:034:47
238.88:024:48
248.88:014:50
258.98:004:51
268.97:594:53
278.97:584:54
289.07:574:56
299.07:564:57
309.17:544:59
319.17:535:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
30.9Dim
40.9Dim
50.9Dim
60.9Dim
70.9Dim
80.9Dim
91.0Dim
101.0Dim
111.0Dim
121.0Dim
131.0Dim
141.0Dim
151.0Dim
161.1Dim
171.1Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.2Dim
231.2Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.3Dim
271.3Dim
281.3Dim
291.4Dim
301.4Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Victoria-Downtown

In seasonPeak

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

Victoria-Downtown's rainy season runs October–March, 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 Victoria-Downtown?

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

0.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Victoria-Downtown.

What to pack for Victoria-Downtown in January

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

In January, Victoria-Downtown sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Victoria-Downtown in January

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 12°C and coldest in January near 8°C.

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

6°8°10°12°14°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep11Bracing
Oct10Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Victoria-Downtown 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 Victoria-Downtown peaks around July 18 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 18UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Victoria-Downtown?

Victoria-Downtown sits at 48.4°N, 123.4°W, 17 m above sea level, in Canada. The nearest listed city is Victoria, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Victoria-Downtown

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Victoria-Downtown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 446 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,356 m.

The land around Victoria-Downtown is covered by artificial surfaces (40%), trees (33%) and water (21%) within 3 km, water (65%) and trees (25%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
80 m
16 km
446 m
80 km
2,356 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Victoria 1.0 km · Esquimalt 4.0 km · Oak Bay 5.0 km · Carey 6.0 km · Gordon Head 7.0 km · Colwood 9.0 km · Langford 11 km · Saanich 14 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 Victoria-Downtown (48.4277°, -123.361°, elevation 17 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).