Shanghai weather in January

In January, Shanghai sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 63 mm of precipitation across 8.4 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Shanghai's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shanghai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
63 mm
8.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
6:58 AM – 5:09 PM
Cloud cover
61%
5th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.5
out of 10

Shanghai is provincial-level municipality in China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 37.7 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
3,923/km²
people per km²
Founded
1292

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 8°C through the month.

A typical January day in Shanghai reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
193
293
393
493
593
693
793
893
983
1083
1183
1283
1383
1483
1583
1683
1782
1882
1982
2082
2182
2282
2382
2482
2582
2682
2782
2882
2982
3082
3182

How January really feels in Shanghai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 30 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
30
wind chill below the day's low

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

Shanghai weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 638.40.510.21.5
Feb10° / 628.70.510.92.2
Mar14° / 9611.30.111.83.8
Apr19° / 12°10410.2012.75.9
May24° / 17°12710013.66.7
Jun27° / 22°27014.50145.4
Jul31° / 26°15713.9013.83.8
Aug31° / 26°15414.8013.13.9
Sep27° / 22°10610.9012.26.1
Oct23° / 17°616011.27.4
Nov17° / 11°567.4010.45.8
Dec11° / 456.70.3103.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34654
44654
54555
64456
74456
84258
94258
104060
114060
124060
133961
143961
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
204060
214159
224159
234159
244159
254159
264258
274258
284357
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Shanghai gets around 63 mm of rain and snow over 8.4 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 27% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1231
2231
3241
4251
5251
6260
7270
8270
9280
10290
11290
12301
13301
14301
15301
16301
17301
18292
19292
20292
21282
22283
23273
24273
25263
26263
27253
28253
29253
30253
31253

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours at the start of January to 10 h 30 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 6:57 AM to 6:53 AM, and sunset from 4:57 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.06:574:57
210.06:574:58
310.06:584:59
410.06:584:59
510.06:585:00
610.06:585:01
710.16:585:02
810.16:585:02
910.16:585:03
1010.16:585:04
1110.16:585:05
1210.16:585:05
1310.16:585:06
1410.16:585:07
1510.26:585:08
1610.26:585:09
1710.26:585:10
1810.26:585:10
1910.26:585:11
2010.26:575:12
2110.36:575:13
2210.36:575:14
2310.36:575:15
2410.36:565:16
2510.36:565:17
2610.46:555:17
2710.46:555:18
2810.46:555:19
2910.46:545:20
3010.56:545:21
3110.56:535:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 5.31 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.58 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Shanghai

In seasonPeak

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

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

Shanghai'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 Shanghai?

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

1.5
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 Shanghai.

What to pack for Shanghai in January

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

In January, Shanghai sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Shanghai 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 at the nearest coast (about 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 27 to Oct 25 — about 5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul26Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct21Refreshing
Nov17Cool
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Shanghai 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 Shanghai peaks around August 16 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 highModerateAug 16UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Shanghai 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 Shanghai is worst in December — around 53 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.2× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Shanghai's WHO annual average of 37.7 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2153 µg/m³Aug 1625 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan51Poor
Feb45Poor
Mar44Poor
Apr40Poor
May34Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct32Moderate
Nov43Poor
Dec53Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Shanghai?

Shanghai sits at 31.2°N, 121.5°E, 12 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Suzhou, 83 km away.

TunxiGaigeturi

Topography around Shanghai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shanghai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 55 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 158 m.

The land around Shanghai is covered by artificial surfaces (86%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (73%) within 16 km, and water (39%), cropland (29%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
30 m
16 km
55 m
80 km
158 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Suzhou 83 km · Wuxi 118 km · Ningbo 150 km · Hangzhou 161 km · Pingyao 169 km · Nanjing 270 km · Tunxi 345 km · Gaigeturi 520 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 Shanghai (31.2222°, 121.4581°, elevation 12 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).