Les Sables-d'Olonne weather in January

In January, Les Sables-d'Olonne sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 91 mm of precipitation across 13.4 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°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 Les Sables-d'Olonne's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Les Sables-d'Olonne's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
91 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
8:53 AM – 5:39 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.8
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month.

A typical January day in Les Sables-d'Olonne reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 3°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.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1107
2107
3107
4107
5107
6107
7107
8107
9107
10107
11107
12107
13107
14107
15107
16107
17107
18106
19106
2096
2196
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
2896
2996
3096
3196

Les Sables-d'Olonne 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 9113.48.81.8
Feb10° / 6410.5102.0
Mar12° / 5710.711.62.9
Apr14° / 529.913.33.9
May17° / 12°549.914.85.3
Jun20° / 15°397.815.56.5
Jul21° / 17°336.615.27.3
Aug22° / 17°406.8147.3
Sep20° / 15°568.212.46.6
Oct17° / 13°9312.710.74.9
Nov13° / 10°10613.99.23.2
Dec10° / 10014.18.42.2

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 (%)
12872
22971
32971
42971
52971
62872
72872
82872
92971
102971
113070
123070
133070
143070
153169
163169
173169
183169
193169
203268
213169
223268
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283268
293268
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Les Sables-d'Olonne gets around 91 mm of rain and snow over 13.4 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 43% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
247
347
447
547
647
747
847
946
1046
1146
1246
1345
1445
1544
1644
1743
1843
1942
2042
2141
2241
2340
2440
2539
2639
2738
2838
2938
3038
3138

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 22 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

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 8:57 AM to 8:41 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:575:24
28.58:575:24
38.58:575:25
48.58:575:26
58.58:575:27
68.58:575:28
78.58:575:29
88.68:575:30
98.68:565:31
108.68:565:32
118.68:565:33
128.78:555:35
138.78:555:36
148.78:545:37
158.78:545:38
168.88:535:39
178.88:535:41
188.88:525:42
198.98:525:43
208.98:515:45
218.98:505:46
229.08:495:47
239.08:495:49
249.08:485:50
259.18:475:51
269.18:465:53
279.18:455:54
289.28:445:56
299.28:435:57
309.38:425:58
319.38:416:00

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.27 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
151.2Dim
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 Les Sables-d'Olonne?

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

1.8
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 Les Sables-d'Olonne.

What to pack for Les Sables-d'Olonne in January

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

In January, Les Sables-d'Olonne sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Les Sables-d'Olonne in January

The nearest coast averages about 11°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 15 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
Jan11Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr12Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun17Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug20Cool
Sep19Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov15Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Les Sables-d'Olonne 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 Les Sables-d'Olonne peaks around July 20 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 highHighModerateLowJul 20UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Les Sables-d'Olonne?

Les Sables-d'Olonne sits at 46.5°N, 1.8°W, 7 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is La Roche-sur-Yon, 33 km away.

Topography around Les Sables-d'Olonne

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Les Sables-d'Olonne.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Les Sables-d'Olonne has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 339 m.

The land around Les Sables-d'Olonne is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and water (39%) within 3 km, water (57%) within 16 km, and water (43%), cropland (25%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
94 m
80 km
339 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: La Roche-sur-Yon 33 km · Challans 39 km · La Rochelle 61 km · Les Herbiers 72 km · Fontenay-le-Comte 75 km · Bouguenais 77 km · Vertou 78 km · Rezé 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 Les Sables-d'Olonne (46.4969°, -1.7847°, 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).