Challans weather in January

In January, Challans sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 11.7 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Challans's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Challans's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:55 AM – 5:38 PM
Cloud cover
71%
12th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.9
out of 10

Challans is human settlement in France.

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 9°C through the month.

A typical January day in Challans reaches about 9°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 5°C and 13°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1106
2106
3106
4106
5106
6106
7106
8106
9106
10106
11106
12106
13106
14106
15106
16106
17106
18106
1996
2096
2196
2296
2395
2495
2595
2695
2795
2895
2995
3095
3195

Challans weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7111.78.81.9
Feb10° / 539.6102.1
Mar12° / 5010.211.63.2
Apr14° / 4710.113.34.3
May18° / 12°529.914.85.6
Jun20° / 15°398.315.66.5
Jul22° / 16°378.115.37.2
Aug22° / 16°437.6147.3
Sep20° / 14°528.112.46.7
Oct17° / 12°7612.110.65.0
Nov13° / 8112.69.23.3
Dec10° / 8112.48.42.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32872
42872
52872
62872
72971
82971
92971
102971
112971
122971
132971
142971
153070
163070
172971
183070
193169
203169
213268
223268
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283367
293367
303367
313466

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Challans gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 11.7 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 42% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
442
542
641
741
841
940
1040
1140
1240
1339
1439
1539
1638
1738
1838
1937
2037
2136
2236
2336
2435
2535
2634
2734
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 21 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2120breezy
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:59 AM to 8:42 AM, and sunset from 5:22 PM to 5:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:595:22
28.48:595:23
38.48:595:24
48.48:595:25
58.58:595:26
68.58:595:27
78.58:585:28
88.58:585:29
98.58:585:30
108.68:585:31
118.68:575:32
128.68:575:34
138.68:575:35
148.78:565:36
158.78:565:37
168.78:555:38
178.88:555:40
188.88:545:41
198.88:535:42
208.98:535:44
218.98:525:45
228.98:515:46
239.08:505:48
249.08:495:49
259.08:495:51
269.18:485:52
279.18:475:53
289.28:465:55
299.28:455:56
309.28:445:58
319.38:425:59

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.04 kWh/m² to a high of 6.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.24 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.3Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Challans?

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

1.9
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 Challans.

What to pack for Challans in January

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

In January, Challans sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Challans in January

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 19 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 9°C.

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

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Challans 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 Challans peaks around August 10 at about 7 (very 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 10UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Challans?

Challans sits at 46.8°N, 1.9°W, 13 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Les Sables-d'Olonne, 39 km away.

Topography around Challans

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Challans has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 44 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 84 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 340 m.

The land around Challans is covered by grassland (37%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and water (36%), grassland (26%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
44 m
16 km
84 m
80 km
340 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Les Sables-d'Olonne 39 km · La Roche-sur-Yon 40 km · Bouguenais 42 km · Couëron 43 km · Saint-Herblain 44 km · Rezé 45 km · Vertou 47 km · Nantes 48 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 Challans (46.8458°, -1.8794°, elevation 13 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).