Nanjing weather in January

In January, Nanjing sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 55 mm of precipitation across 8 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-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 38% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Nanjing's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nanjing's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
55 mm
8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
7:11 AM – 5:18 PM
Cloud cover
56%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

Nanjing is capital city of Jiangsu Province, China, former capital of the Republic of China and China's Ming dynasty.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 44.7 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
1,414/km²
people per km²
Founded
~494 BCE

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 7°C through the month.

A typical January day in Nanjing reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
181
280
380
480
570
670
770
870
970
1070
1170
1270
1370
1470
1570
1670
1770
1870
1970
2070
2170
2270
2370
2470
2570
2670
2770
2870
2970
3080
3180

How January really feels in Nanjing

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Nanjing weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 558210.11.0
Feb10° / 558.31.310.82.2
Mar15° / 80100.411.84.3
Apr21° / 12°949.1012.86.4
May26° / 17°1219.8013.66.6
Jun29° / 22°22211.9014.15.2
Jul32° / 25°21015.1013.93.5
Aug31° / 25°17414.4013.23.9
Sep27° / 20°818.4012.26.4
Oct22° / 14°546.3011.27.4
Nov16° / 536.80.110.45.5
Dec10° / 345.60.49.92.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 52%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35248
45248
55149
65149
75050
84951
94951
104852
114753
124753
134654
144753
154654
164753
174654
184654
194753
204753
214753
224753
234753
244753
254753
264852
274852
284852
294753
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Nanjing gets around 55 mm of rain and snow over 8 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 25% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1193
2203
3213
4223
5234
6244
7254
8255
9265
10275
11276
12286
13287
14287
15287
16288
17288
18288
19279
20279
21279
22279
23269
24268
25258
26258
27258
28247
29247
30247
31247

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 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:10 AM to 7:05 AM, and sunset from 5:06 PM to 5:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.97:105:06
29.97:105:07
310.07:105:07
410.07:115:08
510.07:115:09
610.07:115:10
710.07:115:10
810.07:115:11
910.07:115:12
1010.07:115:13
1110.07:115:13
1210.17:115:14
1310.17:115:15
1410.17:115:16
1510.17:115:17
1610.17:115:18
1710.17:115:18
1810.17:105:19
1910.27:105:20
2010.27:105:21
2110.27:105:22
2210.27:095:23
2310.27:095:24
2410.37:095:25
2510.37:085:26
2610.37:085:26
2710.37:075:27
2810.47:075:28
2910.47:075:29
3010.47:065:30
3110.47:055:31

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.53 kWh/m² to a high of 5.28 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 2.72 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Nanjing

In seasonPeak

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

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

Nanjing's rainy season runs May–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 Nanjing?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nanjing.

What to pack for Nanjing in January

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

In January, Nanjing sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Nanjing in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nanjing peaks around July 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJul 21UV 9Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Nanjing 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 Nanjing is worst in January — around 59 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.0× the cleanest month (August, 29 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Nanjing's WHO annual average of 44.7 µg/m³.

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1059 µg/m³Aug 929 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan59Unhealthy
Feb55Poor
Mar53Poor
Apr48Poor
May42Poor
Jun36Poor
Jul29Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep35Poor
Oct44Poor
Nov49Poor
Dec58Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Nanjing?

Nanjing sits at 32.1°N, 118.8°E, 22 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Wuxi, 153 km away.

NingboWuhan

Topography around Nanjing

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nanjing has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 15 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 514 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 611 m.

The land around Nanjing is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and cropland (51%) and trees (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
59 m
16 km
514 m
80 km
611 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Wuxi 153 km · Suzhou 192 km · Pingyao 216 km · Hangzhou 237 km · Tunxi 265 km · Shanghai 270 km · Ningbo 359 km · Wuhan 459 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 Nanjing (32.0617°, 118.7778°, elevation 22 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). 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).