Chania weather in January

In January, Chania sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 157 mm of precipitation across 14.7 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 13°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Chania's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chania's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
11th warmest
Overnight low
10°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
157 mm
14.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:38 AM – 5:29 PM
Cloud cover
54%
11th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
2.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Chania is city in Crete, Greece.

Density
4,292/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 13°C through the month.

A typical January day in Chania reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11311
21311
31311
41311
51311
61311
71311
81311
91311
101311
111311
121311
131311
141310
151310
161310
171210
181210
191210
201210
211210
221210
231210
241210
251210
261210
271210
281210
291210
301210
311210

Chania weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 10°15714.79.93.1
Feb12° / 10°13313.210.73.1
Mar14° / 11°8610.211.74.0
Apr16° / 14°38612.95.7
May19° / 17°254.113.87.6
Jun23° / 21°51.614.49.1
Jul25° / 23°30.714.29.5
Aug25° / 24°51.113.39.3
Sep23° / 22°263.512.28.8
Oct20° / 19°798.311.17.1
Nov17° / 15°1101110.15.5
Dec14° / 12°16615.19.63.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35347
45347
55347
65347
75347
85446
95347
105446
115446
125446
135446
145446
155446
165446
175446
185446
195446
205545
215545
225545
235644
245644
255743
265842
275842
285842
295842
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Chania gets around 157 mm of rain and snow over 14.7 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 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1501
2501
3501
4502
5492
6492
7492
8482
9482
10472
11472
12461
13461
14451
15451
16461
17461
18461
19461
20471
21471
22461
23461
24461
25461
26461
27461
28461
29461
30461
31461

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 19 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 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
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:38 AM to 7:31 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 5:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:385:16
29.67:385:17
39.77:385:18
49.77:385:18
59.77:395:19
69.77:395:20
79.77:395:21
89.77:395:22
99.77:395:22
109.77:395:23
119.87:395:24
129.87:385:25
139.87:385:26
149.87:385:27
159.87:385:28
169.87:385:29
179.97:385:29
189.97:375:30
199.97:375:31
209.97:375:32
219.97:365:33
2210.07:365:34
2310.07:355:35
2410.07:355:36
2510.07:355:37
2610.17:345:38
2710.17:345:39
2810.17:335:40
2910.17:325:41
3010.27:325:42
3110.27:315:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.1 kWh/m² to a high of 7.87 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Chania

In seasonPeak

In January, Chania sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Chania's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Chania sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in April.

Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Chania?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chania.

What to pack for Chania in January

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

In January, Chania sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 15 days see rain.

rain geara warm layer

Sea temperature near Chania in January

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 26°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 26 to Nov 19 — about 5.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Chania in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chania peaks around July 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 10Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Chania in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Chania is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (September, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1015 µg/m³Sep 208 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May11Good
Jun9Good
Jul8Good
Aug10Good
Sep7Good
Oct8Good
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chania?

Chania sits at 35.5°N, 24.0°E, 24 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Rethymno, 44 km away.

RethymnoHeraklionOiaFiraParosNaxosSpartaKalamata

Topography around Chania

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chania has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 215 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,795 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,432 m.

The land around Chania is covered by water (31%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, water (41%) and trees (33%) within 16 km, and water (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
215 m
16 km
1,795 m
80 km
2,432 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Rethymno 44 km · Heraklion 103 km · Oia 161 km · Fira 162 km · Paros 202 km · Naxos 214 km · Sparta 225 km · Kalamata 242 km

Greece travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$26,948
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 592
Religion
other 3%Muslim 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 Chania (35.5112°, 24.0292°, elevation 24 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).