Oulu weather in January

In January, Oulu sees average daytime highs of -6°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 35 mm of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 4.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -5°C in the first days to -7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 3 h 12 min at the start of January to 6 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Oulu's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Oulu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-6°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-11°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
35 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
4 h 24 min
10:15 AM – 2:40 PM
Cloud cover
82%
10th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
0.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Oulu is urban area in North Ostrobothnia region, Finland.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³ · 2019

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about -5°C in the first days to -7°C by the end.

A typical January day in Oulu reaches about -6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -11°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -16°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

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

How January really feels in Oulu

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.

Oulu 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-6° / -11°358.89.84.50.0
Feb-6° / -12°2988.67.70.0
Mar-1° / -8°307.78.111.20.0
Apr / -3°307.43.814.70.5
May12° / 48100.718.23.2
Jun17° / 5610020.85.4
Jul20° / 12°7812.2019.66.0
Aug18° / 10°7112016.35.5
Sep13° / 5610.4012.73.4
Oct / 5010.32.69.20.5
Nov / -4°4810.675.70.0
Dec-3° / -8°4410.89.83.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31783
41783
51783
61783
71783
81783
91783
101783
111684
121783
131783
141783
151783
161684
171684
181684
191684
201684
211684
221684
231882
241882
251882
261981
271981
281981
291981
301981
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Oulu gets around 35 mm of rain and snow over 8.8 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 29% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13132
23233
33233
43234
53234
63234
73235
83235
93235
103235
113234
123134
133134
143033
153033
162932
172831
182831
192730
202730
212630
222629
232629
242629
252629
262630
272730
282731
292831
302832
312932

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 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 3 h 12 min at the start of January to 6 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 174 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 10:46 AM to 9:30 AM, and sunset from 1:56 PM to 3:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
13.210:461:56
23.210:451:59
33.310:432:01
43.410:422:04
53.410:402:06
63.510:382:09
73.610:362:12
83.710:342:15
93.810:322:18
103.910:302:21
113.910:272:24
124.010:252:27
134.110:222:30
144.210:202:34
154.310:172:37
164.410:152:40
174.510:122:44
184.610:092:47
194.710:062:51
204.810:032:54
215.010:012:58
225.19:583:01
235.29:553:05
245.39:523:08
255.49:493:12
265.59:453:15
275.69:423:19
285.79:393:23
295.89:363:26
305.99:333:30
316.19:303:33

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.02 kWh/m² to a high of 5.52 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.11 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.0Dim
20.0Dim
30.0Dim
40.0Dim
50.0Dim
60.0Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.1Dim
140.1Dim
150.1Dim
160.1Dim
170.1Dim
180.1Dim
190.1Dim
200.1Dim
210.1Dim
220.1Dim
230.2Dim
240.2Dim
250.2Dim
260.2Dim
270.2Dim
280.2Dim
290.3Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Oulu?

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
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Oulu.

What to pack for Oulu in January

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

In January, Oulu sees daytime highs around -6°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Oulu in January

The nearest coast averages about 0°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 13 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in February near -0°C.

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

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan0Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr0Bracing
May3Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug16Cool
Sep12Bracing
Oct8Bracing
Nov4Bracing
Dec1Bracing

UV index in Oulu 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 Oulu peaks around July 15 at about 4 (moderate) — 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 15UV 4Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Oulu?

Oulu sits at 65.0°N, 25.5°E, 15 m above sea level, in Finland. The nearest listed city is Haukipudas, 19 km away.

KemiTornioYlivieskaKajaaniRovaniemiLuleå

Topography around Oulu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Oulu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 199 m.

The land around Oulu is covered by trees (40%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, trees (52%) and water (28%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
38 m
16 km
75 m
80 km
199 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Haukipudas 19 km · Raahe 59 km · Kemi 91 km · Tornio 111 km · Ylivieska 112 km · Kajaani 139 km · Rovaniemi 166 km · Luleå 167 km

Finland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 85% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$56,149
2025
Happiness
7.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 603
Religion
Lutheran 67%none 31%other 2%Greek Orthodox 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 Oulu (65.0124°, 25.4682°, elevation 15 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).