Varel weather in January

In January, Varel sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 64 mm of precipitation across 13.6 wet days and about 7.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-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 12% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 18 min at the start of January to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Varel's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Varel's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
64 mm
13.6 wet days
Daylight
7 h 48 min
8:43 AM – 4:30 PM
Cloud cover
76%
10th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Varel is municipality seat.

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 4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Varel reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 4°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 about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
151
251
351
451
551
651
751
851
951
1051
1151
1251
1351
1451
1551
1651
1751
1841
1941
2041
2140
2240
2340
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

How January really feels in Varel

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.

Varel weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 6413.62.27.80.0
Feb / 4910.22.29.40.1
Mar / 52111.411.51.4
Apr13° / 5011.20.213.73.4
May17° / 5811.5015.65.0
Jun19° / 12°7612.8016.75.6
Jul22° / 14°8714.5016.25.8
Aug21° / 14°8114.3014.65.9
Sep18° / 11°6611.2012.55.4
Oct13° / 6212.4010.33.4
Nov / 5511.70.38.41.3
Dec / 6412.82.47.30.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22377
32476
42476
52476
62377
72377
82377
92476
102476
112377
122476
132476
142476
152476
162476
172476
182476
192476
202476
212476
222476
232476
242476
252476
262476
272476
282476
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Varel gets around 64 mm of rain and snow over 13.6 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 44% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1428
2427
3437
4437
5436
6446
7445
8445
9445
10445
11445
12444
13444
14435
15435
16435
17435
18426
19426
20437
21437
22438
23438
24439
25429
264210
274110
284110
294010
304010
313910

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

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
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 18 min at the start of January to 8 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:51 AM to 8:25 AM, and sunset from 4:10 PM to 4:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.38:514:10
27.38:514:11
37.48:504:13
47.48:504:14
57.48:504:15
67.48:504:16
77.58:494:17
87.58:494:19
97.58:484:20
107.68:484:21
117.68:474:23
127.68:474:24
137.78:464:25
147.78:454:27
157.78:444:29
167.88:434:30
177.88:434:32
187.98:424:33
197.98:414:35
208.08:404:37
218.08:384:38
228.08:374:40
238.18:364:42
248.18:354:44
258.28:344:45
268.28:324:47
278.38:314:49
288.48:304:51
298.48:284:53
308.58:274:54
318.58:254:56

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.48 kWh/m² to a high of 5.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.64 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.8Dim
280.8Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Varel?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Varel.

What to pack for Varel in January

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

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

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Varel in January

The nearest coast averages about 4°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 25 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

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

0°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar5Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Varel 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 Varel peaks around July 15 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 15UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Varel?

Varel sits at 53.4°N, 8.1°E, 9 m above sea level, in Germany. The nearest listed city is Wilhelmshaven, 17 km away.

Topography around Varel

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Varel has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 35 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 104 m.

The land around Varel is covered by grassland (49%) and trees (29%) within 3 km, grassland (47%) and water (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (30%), water (26%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
35 m
16 km
53 m
80 km
104 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Wilhelmshaven 17 km · Rastede 17 km · Schortens 20 km · Westerstede 21 km · Brake (Unterweser) 24 km · Bad Zwischenahn 25 km · Nordenham 26 km · Oldenburg 29 km

Germany travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 80% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$60,496
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 615
Religion
none 44%Roman Catholic 25%Protestant 23%other 5%

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 Varel (53.3969°, 8.1362°, elevation 9 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).