Cherbourg weather in January

In January, Cherbourg sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 85 mm of precipitation across 13.8 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-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 10% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
85 mm
13.8 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
9:05 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
76%
12th clearest
Wind
28 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.5
out of 10

Cherbourg is former commune of Manche, France.

Density
3,857/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 9°C through the month.

A typical January day in Cherbourg reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
197
297
397
497
597
697
797
897
997
1097
1197
1297
1397
1497
1597
1697
1796
1896
1996
2096
2196
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
2786
2886
2986
3086
3186

Cherbourg weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8513.80.48.41.5
Feb / 6512.70.69.81.4
Mar10° / 5510.80.211.52.0
Apr11° / 5010.2013.42.8
May14° / 11°469015.13.9
Jun16° / 13°458.60165.1
Jul18° / 15°417.9015.66.2
Aug19° / 16°569.4014.26.2
Sep17° / 15°579.5012.45.6
Oct15° / 12°9714.6010.54.0
Nov12° / 10°10315.608.92.7
Dec10° / 10815.70.481.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42575
52575
62575
72575
82674
92773
102674
112674
122773
132773
142773
152773
162773
172773
182674
192674
202674
212575
222575
232476
242377
252377
262377
272278
282377
292377
302377
312278

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Cherbourg gets around 85 mm of rain and snow over 13.8 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 45% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1481
2481
3482
4482
5472
6472
7472
8472
9472
10472
11472
12462
13461
14461
15451
16451
17451
18441
19441
20441
21431
22431
23431
24421
25421
26421
27421
28421
29422
30432
31432

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 27 km/h on the calmest days to 29 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
129breezy
229breezy
329breezy
429breezy
529breezy
629breezy
729breezy
829breezy
929breezy
1029breezy
1129breezy
1229breezy
1329breezy
1428breezy
1528breezy
1628breezy
1728breezy
1828breezy
1928breezy
2028breezy
2128breezy
2228breezy
2328breezy
2428breezy
2528breezy
2628breezy
2728breezy
2828breezy
2928breezy
3027breezy
3127breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours 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 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:10 AM to 8:50 AM, and sunset from 5:09 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.09:105:09
28.09:105:10
38.09:105:11
48.09:105:12
58.19:105:13
68.19:105:14
78.19:095:15
88.19:095:16
98.19:095:18
108.29:085:19
118.29:085:20
128.29:075:21
138.39:075:22
148.39:065:24
158.39:065:25
168.49:055:27
178.49:045:28
188.49:045:29
198.59:035:31
208.59:025:32
218.59:015:34
228.69:005:35
238.68:595:37
248.78:585:38
258.78:575:40
268.88:565:41
278.88:555:43
288.88:545:44
298.98:535:46
308.98:525:48
319.08:505:49

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.79 kWh/m² to a high of 6.35 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.9Dim
90.9Dim
100.9Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
151.0Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.1Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.2Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Cherbourg?

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

1.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cherbourg.

What to pack for Cherbourg in January

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

In January, Cherbourg sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer and a windbreaker. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera windbreakerrain gear

Sea temperature near Cherbourg 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 17°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

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

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Cherbourg 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 Cherbourg peaks around August 12 at about 6 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 12UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Cherbourg?

Cherbourg sits at 49.6°N, 1.6°W, 6 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Octeville, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Cherbourg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cherbourg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 192 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 m.

The land around Cherbourg is covered by artificial surfaces (37%), trees (26%) and water (22%) within 3 km, water (36%), grassland (26%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and water (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
165 m
16 km
192 m
80 km
223 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Octeville 2.0 km · Équeurdreville-Hainneville 3.0 km · Tourlaville 4.0 km · Saint Helier 61 km · Saint Peter Port 69 km · Saint-Lô 70 km · Bayeux 77 km · Caen 104 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 Cherbourg (49.6398°, -1.6164°, elevation 6 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).