Chennai weather in January

In January, Chennai sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 14 mm of rain across 3.1 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of January to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Chennai's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chennai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
11th warmest
Overnight low
23°
1st coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:39 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
43%
4th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
out of 10

Chennai is city and state capital of Tamil Nadu, India.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 36 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1639

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 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Chennai reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12723
22723
32723
42723
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132723
142723
152723
162723
172723
182723
192823
202823
212823
222823
232823
242823
252823
262823
272823
282823
292823
302823
312823

How January really feels in Chennai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Chennai weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 23°143.111.37.7
Feb29° / 23°61.511.67.0
Mar31° / 25°81.311.95.9
Apr33° / 27°152.412.34.6
May34° / 29°38412.63.4
Jun34° / 28°671112.82.7
Jul33° / 28°7014.212.72.8
Aug33° / 27°9314.912.43.1
Sep32° / 27°10316.412.13.3
Oct30° / 26°20819.111.73.8
Nov28° / 25°22816.511.44.9
Dec27° / 24°1179.111.26.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% 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 24%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26832
36931
47030
57030
67228
77228
87327
97327
107426
117426
127525
137624
147624
157723
167723
177723
187822
197822
207822
217822
227822
237822
247822
257822
267921
277921
287921
298020
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Chennai gets around 14 mm of rain over 3.1 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 10% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
218
318
417
517
616
715
815
914
1013
1112
1212
1311
1410
1510
169
178
188
197
207
217
226
236
246
256
266
276
286
296
306
316

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 62% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 90% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11156312
21156312
31157302
41157302
51158292
61159282
71160281
81161271
91162261
101163251
111163251
121164241
131164241
141166230
151166230
161166230
171166230
181166230
191166230
201165240
211066240
221065250
231065250
241064260
25964270
26963280
27962290
28862300
29861310
30860320
31859330

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of January to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:35 AM to 6:40 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 6:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:355:49
211.26:355:50
311.26:365:50
411.36:365:51
511.36:365:51
611.36:375:52
711.36:375:53
811.36:375:53
911.36:375:54
1011.36:385:54
1111.36:385:55
1211.36:385:55
1311.36:385:56
1411.36:395:56
1511.36:395:57
1611.36:395:57
1711.36:395:58
1811.36:395:58
1911.36:395:59
2011.36:405:59
2111.36:406:00
2211.36:406:00
2311.46:406:01
2411.46:406:01
2511.46:406:02
2611.46:406:02
2711.46:406:03
2811.46:406:03
2911.46:406:04
3011.46:406:04
3111.46:406:05

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.12 kWh/m² to a high of 6.63 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4.98 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Chennai

In seasonPeak

None of Chennai's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Chennai sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Chennai's monsoon runs September–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Chennai?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Chennai for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Chennai in January

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

In January, Chennai sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Chennai in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Chennai in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chennai peaks around July 24 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 7 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highJul 24UV 13Dec 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Chennai 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 Chennai is worst in January — around 51 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.0× the cleanest month (April, 25 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Chennai's WHO annual average of 36 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorJan 1650 µg/m³Apr 1826 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan51Poor
Feb45Poor
Mar35Poor
Apr25Moderate
May30Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct41Poor
Nov41Poor
Dec45Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Chennai?

Chennai sits at 13.1°N, 80.3°E, 14 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Manali, 9.0 km away.

BengaluruPoint PedroValvedditturaiJaffnaMysoreMaduraiMullaittivu

Topography around Chennai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chennai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 20 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 881 m.

The land around Chennai is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) within 3 km, water (47%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 16 km, and water (40%) and cropland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
20 m
16 km
83 m
80 km
881 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Manali 9.0 km · Bengaluru 291 km · Point Pedro 364 km · Valvedditturai 364 km · Jaffna 381 km · Mysore 404 km · Madurai 424 km · Mullaittivu 429 km

India travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / D / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,702
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
15.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 484
Religion
Hindu 80%Muslim 14%Christian 2%other and unspecified 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 Chennai (13.0878°, 80.2785°, elevation 14 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).