Tórshavn weather in January

In January, Tórshavn sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 122 mm of precipitation across 19.6 wet days and about 5.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 4 h 54 min at the start of January to 6 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tórshavn's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tórshavn's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
122 mm
19.6 wet days
Daylight
5 h 42 min
9:45 AM – 3:28 PM
Cloud cover
78%
10th clearest
Wind
34 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Tórshavn is capital of the Faroe Islands.

Density
113/km²
people per km²
Founded
~901 CE

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 6°C through the month.

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

-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
164
264
364
464
564
664
764
864
964
1064
1164
1264
1364
1464
1564
1664
1764
1864
1964
2064
2164
2264
2364
2464
2563
2663
2763
2863
2963
3063
3163

How January really feels in Tórshavn

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.

Tórshavn weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 12219.62.95.80.3
Feb / 9516.73.48.30.2
Mar / 9317.92.811.30.2
Apr / 6713.91.314.30.5
May / 5411.80.217.21.1
Jun / 468.9019.11.8
Jul11° / 5311.4018.32.3
Aug11° / 10°6811.9015.72.6
Sep11° / 9415012.62.1
Oct / 11718.20.19.61.4
Nov / 11919.21.26.70.8
Dec / 12519.134.90.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22179
32179
42179
52278
62278
72179
82080
92080
102080
112080
122080
132080
142080
152080
162080
172179
182179
192278
202377
212377
222377
232377
242476
252476
262575
272575
282476
292476
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Tórshavn gets around 122 mm of rain and snow over 19.6 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 63% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1628
2628
3638
4637
5647
6647
7657
8657
9657
10668
11668
12668
13658
14659
15659
16659
17659
186410
196410
206311
216211
226211
236111
246112
256012
266012
276012
285913
295913
305913
315913

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 34 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 34 km/h on the calmest days to 35 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

010203040151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
134windy
234windy
334windy
434windy
534windy
634windy
734windy
834windy
934windy
1035windy
1135windy
1235windy
1335windy
1435windy
1535windy
1634windy
1734windy
1834windy
1934windy
2034windy
2134windy
2234windy
2334windy
2434windy
2534windy
2634windy
2734windy
2834windy
2934windy
3034windy
3134windy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 54 min at the start of January to 6 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 120 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 10:04 AM to 9:12 AM, and sunset from 2:57 PM to 4:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.910:042:57
24.910:032:58
35.010:023:00
45.010:013:02
55.010:013:03
65.110:003:05
75.19:583:07
85.29:573:09
95.39:563:11
105.39:553:14
115.49:533:16
125.49:523:18
135.59:503:20
145.69:493:23
155.69:473:25
165.79:453:28
175.89:433:30
185.99:413:33
195.99:393:35
206.09:373:38
216.19:353:41
226.29:333:43
236.29:313:46
246.39:293:49
256.49:273:52
266.59:243:54
276.69:223:57
286.79:204:00
296.89:174:03
306.99:154:06
316.99:124:09

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.11 kWh/m² to a high of 4.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.22 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.2Dim
110.2Dim
120.2Dim
130.2Dim
140.2Dim
150.2Dim
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.3Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.4Dim
290.4Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Tórshavn?

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

0.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tórshavn.

What to pack for Tórshavn in January

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

In January, Tórshavn sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 20 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreakera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Tórshavn in January

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 10°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

6°8°10°12°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct10Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Tórshavn 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 Tórshavn peaks around July 14 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 14UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Tórshavn?

Tórshavn sits at 62.0°N, 6.8°W, 1 m above sea level, in Faroe Islands. The nearest listed city is Isle of Lewis, 422 km away.

Topography around Tórshavn

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tórshavn has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 345 m around an average of 80 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 765 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 887 m.

The land around Tórshavn is covered by grassland (42%) and water (39%) within 3 km, water (70%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and water (87%) within 80 km.

3 km
345 m
16 km
765 m
80 km
887 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Isle of Lewis 422 km · Elgin 522 km · Inverness 524 km · Peterhead 573 km · Fort William 585 km · Aberdeen 601 km · Nigg 604 km · Vik 642 km

Faroe Islands travel facts

Power plugs
Type C / E / F / K
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 94% of US
price level, 2024
GDP per capita
$74,175
2024
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 87%none 4%other 1%

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 Tórshavn (62.0097°, -6.7716°, elevation 1 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).