Vaasa weather in January

In January, Vaasa sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 35 mm of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 5.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -2°C in the first days to -3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 4 h 24 min at the start of January to 6 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Vaasa's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vaasa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
35 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
5 h 18 min
10:04 AM – 3:22 PM
Cloud cover
79%
12th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10
Air quality
Excellent
PM2.5 3.9 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 -2°C in the first days to -3°C by the end.

A typical January day in Vaasa reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -7°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -9°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)
1-2-6
2-2-6
3-2-6
4-2-6
5-2-6
6-2-6
7-2-6
8-2-6
9-2-6
10-2-6
11-2-6
12-2-6
13-2-6
14-2-6
15-2-7
16-2-7
17-2-7
18-2-7
19-2-7
20-2-7
21-3-7
22-3-7
23-3-7
24-3-8
25-3-8
26-3-8
27-3-8
28-3-8
29-3-8
30-3-8
31-3-8

How January really feels in Vaasa

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.

Vaasa 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° / -7°359.38.75.40.0
Feb-3° / -8°287.27.18.10.0
Mar / -5°307.56.111.20.0
Apr / -0°327.83.314.51.0
May13° / 428.40.217.63.7
Jun17° / 5910.4019.65.5
Jul20° / 12°7011018.76.2
Aug19° / 11°7011.2015.95.9
Sep14° / 539.7012.74.1
Oct / 5510.51.99.41.1
Nov / -1°4810.24.56.40.0
Dec-0° / -4°4510.57.44.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22278
32278
42278
52179
62179
72179
82179
92278
102179
112179
122179
132179
142179
152179
162179
172179
182179
192179
202080
212080
222179
232179
242080
252179
262179
272278
282278
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Vaasa gets around 35 mm of rain and snow over 9.3 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 31% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13330
23430
33431
43431
53431
63431
73431
83431
93430
103430
113329
123329
133328
143228
153228
163127
173127
183027
193026
202926
212826
222826
232826
242726
252727
262727
272727
282728
292828
302828
312828

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, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 24 min at the start of January to 6 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 138 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 10:25 AM to 9:27 AM, and sunset from 2:48 PM to 4:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.410:252:48
24.410:252:50
34.510:242:51
44.510:232:53
54.610:222:55
64.610:202:57
74.710:193:00
84.710:183:02
94.810:163:04
104.910:153:06
114.910:133:09
125.010:113:11
135.110:103:14
145.110:083:17
155.210:063:19
165.310:043:22
175.410:023:25
185.59:593:28
195.69:573:30
205.69:553:33
215.79:533:36
225.89:503:39
235.99:483:42
246.09:463:45
256.19:433:48
266.29:413:51
276.39:383:54
286.49:353:57
296.59:334:00
306.69:304:03
316.79:274:06

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.08 kWh/m² to a high of 5.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.18 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
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.1Dim
140.1Dim
150.2Dim
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.2Dim
220.2Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Vaasa?

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 Vaasa.

What to pack for Vaasa in January

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

In January, Vaasa sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -7°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 Vaasa in January

The nearest coast averages about 1°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°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan1Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May5Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug16Cool
Sep13Bracing
Oct9Bracing
Nov5Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in Vaasa 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 Vaasa peaks around June 18 at about 4 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 18UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Vaasa?

Vaasa sits at 63.1°N, 21.6°E, 7 m above sea level, in Finland. The nearest listed city is Korsholm, 4.0 km away.

KurikkaSeinäjokiKauhavaJakobstadUmeåKokkola

Topography around Vaasa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vaasa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 211 m.

The land around Vaasa is covered by water (36%), trees (29%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 3 km, trees (50%) and water (28%) within 16 km, and water (47%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
28 m
16 km
73 m
80 km
211 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Korsholm 4.0 km · Kurikka 67 km · Seinäjoki 70 km · Kauhava 73 km · Jakobstad 84 km · Umeå 106 km · Kokkola 112 km · Örnsköldsvik 147 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 Vaasa (63.096°, 21.6158°, elevation 7 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).