Nicosia weather in January

In January, Nicosia sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 57 mm of rain across 8.7 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Nicosia's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nicosia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
8.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:00 AM – 4:52 PM
Cloud cover
44%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Nicosia is capital of Cyprus.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 14.5 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
3,926/km²
people per km²

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 15°C through the month.

A typical January day in Nicosia reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1169
2169
3169
4169
5169
6169
7169
8169
9159
10159
11158
12158
13158
14158
15158
16158
17158
18158
19158
20158
21158
22158
23158
24158
25158
26158
27158
28158
29158
30158
31158

How January really feels in Nicosia

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

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Nicosia weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 578.79.95.1
Feb16° / 477.610.75.5
Mar19° / 10°366.411.77.0
Apr23° / 13°295.112.98.0
May28° / 17°304.513.87.5
Jun32° / 22°71.814.35.3
Jul35° / 24°20.514.13.5
Aug35° / 25°3113.33.5
Sep32° / 22°112.612.25.3
Oct27° / 18°375.511.17.4
Nov22° / 14°385.510.27.7
Dec17° / 10°548.59.76.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36634
46634
56634
66634
76634
86634
96733
106733
116733
126733
136832
146832
156832
166832
176832
186733
196733
206733
216733
226733
236733
246733
256733
266931
276931
286931
296931
306931
316931

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Nicosia gets around 57 mm of rain over 8.7 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
429
529
628
728
827
927
1026
1125
1225
1324
1424
1524
1624
1724
1825
1925
2026
2126
2227
2327
2427
2527
2627
2727
2827
2927
3027
3127

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 (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 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 7:00 AM to 6:53 AM, and sunset from 4:40 PM to 5:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:004:40
29.77:004:40
39.77:004:41
49.77:004:42
59.77:004:43
69.77:004:43
79.77:004:44
89.77:004:45
99.87:004:46
109.87:004:47
119.87:004:48
129.87:004:48
139.87:004:49
149.87:004:50
159.97:004:51
169.97:004:52
179.96:594:53
189.96:594:54
199.96:594:55
2010.06:594:56
2110.06:584:57
2210.06:584:58
2310.06:574:59
2410.06:575:00
2510.16:575:01
2610.16:565:02
2710.16:565:03
2810.16:555:04
2910.26:545:05
3010.26:545:06
3110.26:535:07

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.49 kWh/m² to a high of 7.91 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.8 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Nicosia?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Nicosia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nicosia in January

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

In January, Nicosia sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Nicosia in January

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 8 to Dec 5 — about 7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr18Cool
May21Refreshing
Jun24Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep27Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov22Refreshing
Dec19Cool

UV index in Nicosia in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nicosia peaks around August 11 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateAug 11UV 10Dec 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Nicosia 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 Nicosia is worst in March — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Nicosia's WHO annual average of 14.5 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 1818 µg/m³Dec 1612 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Nicosia?

Nicosia sits at 35.2°N, 33.4°E, 155 m above sea level, in Cyprus. The nearest listed city is Stróvolos, 3.0 km away.

AradíppouMórfouLarnacaLefkara

Topography around Nicosia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nicosia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 152 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,946 m.

The land around Nicosia is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 3 km, cropland (39%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and water (57%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
852 m
80 km
1,946 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Stróvolos 3.0 km · Aglantziá 4.0 km · Káto Lakatámeia 7.0 km · Kyrenia 18 km · Aradíppou 33 km · Mórfou 33 km · Larnaca 37 km · Lefkara 40 km

Cyprus travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$41,783
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 537
Religion
Eastern Orthodox Christian 89%Roman Catholic 3%Protestant/Anglican 2%Muslim 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 Nicosia (35.1728°, 33.354°, elevation 155 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. 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).