La Rochelle weather in January

In January, La Rochelle sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 77 mm of precipitation across 11.9 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 18% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 30 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is La Rochelle's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see La Rochelle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
77 mm
11.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
8:50 AM – 5:38 PM
Cloud cover
71%
12th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.9
out of 10

La Rochelle is French commune and prefecture of Charente-Maritime, New Aquitaine.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,702/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 La Rochelle reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°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 on par with December and on par with February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1106
2106
396
496
5106
6106
7106
8106
9106
10106
11106
12106
13106
14106
15105
16105
17105
1895
1995
2095
2195
2295
2395
2495
2595
2695
2795
2895
2995
3095
3195

La Rochelle 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 / 7711.98.81.9
Feb10° / 589.7102.2
Mar13° / 541011.63.5
Apr15° / 579.813.34.5
May18° / 12°5710.214.75.8
Jun21° / 15°478.415.56.7
Jul23° / 17°367.115.27.5
Aug23° / 17°427.2147.6
Sep21° / 15°55812.36.8
Oct17° / 12°8712.310.75.2
Nov13° / 9212.89.23.3
Dec10° / 8712.88.52.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 (%)
12872
22872
32773
42872
52872
62872
72872
82872
92872
102872
112971
122971
132971
142971
153070
163070
173169
183169
193268
203169
213169
223268
233169
243169
253169
263169
273070
283070
293169
303169
313268

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

La Rochelle gets around 77 mm of rain and snow over 11.9 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 43% 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 (%)
143
243
342
442
542
642
742
841
941
1041
1140
1240
1340
1439
1539
1639
1738
1838
1938
2037
2137
2237
2336
2436
2535
2634
2734
2834
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 19 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 30 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 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:53 AM to 8:38 AM, and sunset from 5:22 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.58:535:22
28.58:535:23
38.58:535:24
48.58:535:25
58.58:535:26
68.68:535:27
78.68:535:28
88.68:535:29
98.68:525:30
108.68:525:31
118.78:525:32
128.78:525:33
138.78:515:34
148.78:515:36
158.88:505:37
168.88:505:38
178.88:495:39
188.98:495:41
198.98:485:42
208.98:475:43
219.08:475:44
229.08:465:46
239.08:455:47
249.18:445:48
259.18:435:50
269.18:435:51
279.28:425:53
289.28:415:54
299.38:405:55
309.38:395:57
319.38:385:58

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.28 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.1Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.2Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.3Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit La Rochelle?

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 La Rochelle.

What to pack for La Rochelle in January

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

In January, La Rochelle sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near La Rochelle 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 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 20°C and coldest in February near 10°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
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun18Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep19Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in La Rochelle 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 La Rochelle peaks around July 20 at about 8 (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 highModerateLowJul 20UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is La Rochelle?

La Rochelle sits at 46.2°N, 1.2°W, 13 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Rochefort, 28 km away.

Topography around La Rochelle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around La Rochelle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 m.

The land around La Rochelle is covered by artificial surfaces (56%) within 3 km, water (48%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and cropland (40%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
59 m
80 km
305 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Rochefort 28 km · Fontenay-le-Comte 43 km · Niort 56 km · La Roche-sur-Yon 60 km · Royan 60 km · Saintes 61 km · Les Sables-d'Olonne 61 km · Les Herbiers 79 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 La Rochelle (46.1631°, -1.1522°, 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).