Caen weather in January

In January, Caen sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 59 mm of precipitation across 11.5 wet days and about 8.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Caen's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Caen's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
59 mm
11.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
8:58 AM – 5:23 PM
Cloud cover
74%
12th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.3
out of 10

Caen is commune in Calvados, France.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,304/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 8°C through the month.

A typical January day in Caen reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3183

How January really feels in Caen

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.

Caen weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5911.50.58.51.3
Feb / 5111.10.89.81.6
Mar12° / 5411.30.411.62.9
Apr15° / 5611.70.113.44.1
May18° / 10°5811.40155.3
Jun21° / 12°6210.5015.96.1
Jul23° / 14°5510.9015.66.6
Aug23° / 14°6010.1014.26.7
Sep20° / 12°539.7012.46.2
Oct16° / 6512.3010.54.6
Nov11° / 6612.808.92.6
Dec / 7413.30.58.11.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42674
52674
62575
72575
82674
92674
102674
112674
122674
132674
142773
152773
162773
172773
182872
192773
202773
212773
222674
232674
242674
252476
262476
272476
282476
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Caen gets around 59 mm of rain and snow over 11.5 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 38% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1412
2401
3401
4401
5391
6391
7391
8381
9381
10381
11381
12381
13381
14381
15381
16371
17371
18371
19372
20372
21372
22372
23362
24362
25362
26362
27362
28362
29362
30362
31363

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

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
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:03 AM to 8:44 AM, and sunset from 5:06 PM to 5:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.19:035:06
28.19:035:07
38.19:035:08
48.19:035:09
58.19:035:10
68.19:025:11
78.29:025:12
88.29:025:13
98.29:025:14
108.29:015:16
118.39:015:17
128.39:005:18
138.39:005:19
148.48:595:21
158.48:595:22
168.48:585:23
178.58:575:25
188.58:575:26
198.58:565:28
208.68:555:29
218.68:545:30
228.68:535:32
238.78:525:33
248.78:525:35
258.88:515:36
268.88:495:38
278.98:485:39
288.98:475:41
298.98:465:43
309.08:455:44
319.08:445:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.81 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.9Dim
70.9Dim
80.9Dim
90.9Dim
100.9Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
141.0Dim
151.0Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Caen?

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

1.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Caen.

What to pack for Caen in January

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

In January, Caen sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Caen in January

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Caen in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Caen peaks around June 18 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 18UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Caen?

Caen sits at 49.2°N, 0.4°W, 21 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Hérouville-Saint-Clair, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Caen

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Caen has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 91 m around an average of 33 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 181 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 459 m.

The land around Caen is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, cropland (53%) within 16 km, and grassland (31%), cropland (29%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
91 m
16 km
181 m
80 km
459 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Hérouville-Saint-Clair 5.0 km · Bayeux 27 km · Deauville 36 km · Lisieux 43 km · Le Havre 48 km · Flers 52 km · Saint-Lô 54 km · Argentan 55 km

France travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 77% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$48,986
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
5.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 539
Religion
Roman Catholic 47%none 33%Muslim 4%Protestant 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 Caen (49.1859°, -0.3591°, elevation 21 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).