Tartu weather in January

In January, Tartu sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 40 mm of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 6.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -2°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 12 min at the start of January to 7 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tartu's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tartu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-6°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
40 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
6 h 48 min
9:00 AM – 3:45 PM
Cloud cover
86%
12th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Tartu is second most populous city in Estonia.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,346/km²
people per km²
Founded
1030

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 -2°C through the month.

A typical January day in Tartu reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -10°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-2-5
2-2-5
3-2-5
4-2-5
5-2-5
6-2-5
7-1-5
8-1-5
9-1-5
10-1-5
11-1-5
12-2-5
13-2-5
14-2-6
15-2-6
16-2-6
17-2-6
18-2-6
19-2-6
20-2-6
21-2-6
22-2-6
23-2-7
24-3-7
25-3-7
26-3-7
27-3-7
28-3-7
29-3-7
30-3-7
31-3-7

How January really feels in Tartu

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Tartu weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -6°4010.49.66.80.0
Feb-2° / -7°358.88.28.90.0
Mar / -4°359611.40.0
Apr10° / 399.62.1142.1
May16° / 5310.60.116.44.9
Jun20° / 11°8413.2017.85.6
Jul22° / 14°6812.3017.36.3
Aug21° / 12°7512.8015.15.9
Sep16° / 5010.3012.54.5
Oct / 5811.21.19.91.6
Nov / -1°5010.74.67.50.0
Dec-0° / -4°4410.88.36.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21387
31387
41288
51288
61189
71189
81189
91189
101189
111189
121189
131090
141090
151090
161090
171189
181189
191189
201189
211189
221189
231189
241189
251288
261387
271387
281387
291486
301585
311585

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Tartu gets around 40 mm of rain and snow over 10.4 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 34% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13831
23832
33832
43832
53933
63933
73933
83933
93833
103833
113732
123732
133631
143531
153430
163330
173229
183129
193129
203029
213029
222929
232929
242929
252930
263030
273030
283031
293131
303131
313131

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 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 12 min at the start of January to 7 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 90 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:12 AM to 8:35 AM, and sunset from 3:21 PM to 4:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.29:123:21
26.29:113:22
36.29:113:23
46.29:103:25
56.39:103:26
66.39:093:28
76.39:093:29
86.49:083:31
96.49:073:32
106.59:063:34
116.59:053:36
126.69:043:38
136.69:033:39
146.79:023:41
156.79:013:43
166.89:003:45
176.88:583:47
186.98:573:49
196.98:553:51
207.08:543:53
217.18:533:56
227.18:513:58
237.28:494:00
247.28:484:02
257.38:464:04
267.48:444:07
277.48:424:09
287.58:404:11
297.68:394:13
307.78:374:16
317.78:354:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.36 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.2Dim
20.2Dim
30.2Dim
40.3Dim
50.3Dim
60.3Dim
70.3Dim
80.3Dim
90.3Dim
100.3Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.3Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.4Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.5Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Tartu?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tartu.

What to pack for Tartu in January

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

In January, Tartu sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Tartu in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tartu peaks around June 21 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 21UV 5Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Tartu?

Tartu sits at 58.4°N, 26.7°E, 39 m above sea level, in Estonia. The nearest listed city is Otepää, 38 km away.

OtepääViljandiValgaRakverePskovSlantsyKohtla-JärveValmiera

Topography around Tartu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tartu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 52 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 m.

The land around Tartu is covered by artificial surfaces (37%), trees (34%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (40%), cropland (34%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
135 m
80 km
292 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Otepää 38 km · Viljandi 66 km · Valga 78 km · Rakvere 110 km · Pskov 113 km · Slantsy 114 km · Kohtla-Järve 117 km · Valmiera 121 km

Estonia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 66% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$34,418
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 561
Religion
none 58%Orthodox 17%Protestant 9%other 3%

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 Tartu (58.3806°, 26.7251°, elevation 39 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. 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).