Dalian weather in January

In January, Dalian sees average daytime highs of 0°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 7 mm of precipitation across 1.9 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-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 46% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Dalian's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dalian's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
1st coldest
Precipitation
7 mm
1.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:16 AM – 4:49 PM
Cloud cover
47%
8th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Dalian is city in Liaoning, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 35.1 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
361/km²
people per km²
Founded
1904

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 Dalian reaches about 0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-2
21-2
31-3
41-3
51-3
61-3
70-3
80-3
90-3
100-3
110-3
120-3
130-4
140-4
150-4
160-4
170-4
180-4
190-4
200-4
210-4
220-4
230-4
240-4
250-4
260-4
270-4
280-4
290-4
300-4
310-3

How January really feels in Dalian

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
18 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Dalian weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°71.929.60.0
Feb / -2°102110.50.0
Mar / 153.10.711.70.2
Apr10° / 365.40.1132.5
May15° / 13°596014.15.3
Jun21° / 19°806.8014.77.0
Jul25° / 23°1369.5014.47.0
Aug26° / 24°1408.7013.57.1
Sep23° / 20°515.3012.37.8
Oct17° / 14°335.60116.2
Nov10° / 284.70.89.92.5
Dec / -0°123.22.19.30.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% 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 41%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35644
45743
55743
65743
75743
85743
95743
105743
115743
125743
135644
145644
155644
165644
175743
185743
195743
205842
215842
225941
236040
246040
256238
266337
276535
286634
296733
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Dalian gets around 7 mm of rain and snow over 1.9 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 6% and peaks near 8% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
188
289
389
489
589
688
778
878
978
1077
1167
1267
1366
1466
1566
1666
1756
1856
1955
2055
2155
2255
2355
2455
2555
2655
2754
2854
2944
3044
3144

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 22 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 22 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
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:17 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 4:36 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:174:36
29.37:174:37
39.37:184:38
49.37:184:39
59.47:184:39
69.47:184:40
79.47:184:41
89.47:184:42
99.47:184:43
109.47:184:44
119.57:174:45
129.57:174:46
139.57:174:47
149.57:174:47
159.57:174:48
169.67:164:49
179.67:164:51
189.67:164:52
199.67:154:53
209.67:154:54
219.77:144:55
229.77:144:56
239.77:134:57
249.87:134:58
259.87:124:59
269.87:125:00
279.87:115:01
289.97:105:02
299.97:105:03
309.97:095:05
3110.07:085:06

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Dalian

In seasonPeak

In January, Dalian sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Dalian sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Dalian's rainy season runs June–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Dalian?

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
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dalian.

What to pack for Dalian in January

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

In January, Dalian sees daytime highs around 0°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: a windbreaker.

a warm layera heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Dalian in January

The nearest coast averages about 5°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 24°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 5 to Oct 4 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

0°10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug24Warm
Sep23Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Dalian in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dalian peaks around August 18 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highModerateLowAug 18UV 7Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Dalian 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 Dalian is worst in March — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (September, 24 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Dalian's WHO annual average of 35.1 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateMar 2151 µg/m³Sep 1224 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan36Poor
Feb41Poor
Mar52Poor
Apr49Poor
May41Poor
Jun33Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov32Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Dalian?

Dalian sits at 38.9°N, 121.6°E, 33 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Sinŭiju, 274 km away.

Kwail-ŭpChangyŏnSonghwaŬllyulChaeryŏng-niChŏngju

Topography around Dalian

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dalian has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 218 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 442 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 677 m.

The land around Dalian is covered by artificial surfaces (77%) within 3 km, water (45%), artificial surfaces (27%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (71%) within 80 km.

3 km
218 m
16 km
442 m
80 km
677 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sinŭiju 274 km · Uiju 289 km · Kwail-ŭp 301 km · Changyŏn 312 km · Songhwa 313 km · Ŭllyul 314 km · Chaeryŏng-ni 315 km · Chŏngju 322 km

China travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,862
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.5
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
17.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 464
Religion
unaffiliated 52%folk religion 22%Buddhist 18%Christian 5%

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 Dalian (38.9122°, 121.6022°, elevation 33 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. 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).