Pontarlier weather in January

In January, Pontarlier sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 128 mm of precipitation across 14.3 wet days and about 8.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 Pontarlier's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pontarlier's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
128 mm
14.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:22 AM – 5:05 PM
Cloud cover
68%
10th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Pontarlier reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-1
24-1
34-1
44-1
54-1
64-1
74-1
84-1
94-1
104-1
114-1
124-1
134-1
144-1
154-1
164-1
174-1
184-1
194-1
204-1
214-1
224-1
234-2
244-2
254-2
264-2
274-2
284-2
294-2
304-2
314-2

How January really feels in Pontarlier

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.

Pontarlier weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°12814.38.58.80.0
Feb / -1°11413.18.5100.2
Mar10° / 12114.45.911.61.9
Apr13° / 12115.13.113.33.3
May17° / 15617.50.514.84.5
Jun21° / 12°14216.1015.65.5
Jul23° / 14°13715.5015.36.1
Aug23° / 13°13914.60146.2
Sep18° / 10°12613.6012.45.3
Oct14° / 12913.70.710.63.6
Nov / 13614.44.49.21.1
Dec / -0°14915.38.58.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32971
43070
53070
63070
73169
83169
93268
103367
113466
123466
133466
143466
153565
163565
173565
183565
193565
203565
213466
223466
233466
243466
253466
263367
273466
283466
293367
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Pontarlier gets around 128 mm of rain and snow over 14.3 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 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15026
25026
34925
44925
54925
64824
74824
84824
94724
104725
114725
124626
134627
144628
154628
164629
174629
184630
194630
204631
214531
224531
234531
244531
254531
264530
274530
284530
294530
304530
314630

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 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 8:26 AM to 8:10 AM, and sunset from 4:49 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:264:49
28.48:264:50
38.48:264:51
48.48:264:52
58.48:264:53
68.58:264:54
78.58:264:55
88.58:264:56
98.58:254:57
108.68:254:58
118.68:254:59
128.68:245:00
138.68:245:02
148.78:235:03
158.78:235:04
168.78:225:05
178.78:225:07
188.88:215:08
198.88:215:09
208.88:205:11
218.98:195:12
228.98:185:13
239.08:175:15
249.08:175:16
259.08:165:17
269.18:155:19
279.18:145:20
289.18:135:22
299.28:125:23
309.28:115:25
319.38:105:26

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.02 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.26 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
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
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Pontarlier?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pontarlier.

What to pack for Pontarlier in January

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

In January, Pontarlier sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

UV index in Pontarlier 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 Pontarlier peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 15UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Pontarlier?

Pontarlier sits at 46.9°N, 6.4°E, 834 m above sea level, in France. The nearest listed city is Yverdon-les-Bains, 26 km away.

Topography around Pontarlier

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pontarlier has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 m around an average of 898 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,215 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,196 m.

The land around Pontarlier is covered by trees (44%), grassland (34%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and grassland (46%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and grassland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
364 m
16 km
1,215 m
80 km
2,196 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Yverdon-les-Bains 26 km · La Chaux-de-Fonds 42 km · Renens 44 km · Neuchâtel 45 km · Morges 45 km · Besançon 46 km · Lausanne 48 km · Pully 50 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 Pontarlier (46.9035°, 6.3554°, elevation 834 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. 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).