Darjeeling weather in January

In January, Darjeeling sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 34 mm of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Darjeeling's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Darjeeling's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
34 mm
7.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
6:32 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
41%
3rd clearest
Wind
3 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Darjeeling is City in West Bengal, India.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 24 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
11,712/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 16°C through the month.

A typical January day in Darjeeling reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1176
2176
3176
4176
5166
6166
7166
8166
9166
10166
11166
12166
13166
14166
15166
16166
17166
18166
19166
20166
21166
22166
23166
24166
25167
26167
27167
28177
29177
30177
31177

Darjeeling weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 347.310.55.8
Feb18° / 7112.5115.6
Mar22° / 11°13718.911.85.5
Apr24° / 14°22122.812.64.9
May25° / 17°3772913.33.9
Jun26° / 20°61729.413.73.5
Jul25° / 21°86430.613.53.4
Aug26° / 21°54829.7133.5
Sep25° / 19°41627.412.23.9
Oct24° / 15°16419.111.45.7
Nov21° / 11°357.710.77.2
Dec18° / 17410.37.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% 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 27%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18317
28317
38218
48218
58119
68119
78020
88020
97921
107822
117723
127624
137525
147426
157327
167228
177129
187129
197030
206931
216832
226832
236832
246832
256634
266634
276634
286634
296634
306733
316634

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Darjeeling gets around 34 mm of rain over 7.3 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 23% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
218
319
419
519
620
720
820
920
1021
1121
1221
1321
1422
1522
1622
1722
1823
1923
2024
2124
2225
2326
2427
2527
2628
2729
2830
2931
3032
3132

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 3 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:30 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 4:50 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.36:304:50
210.36:314:50
310.36:314:51
410.36:314:52
510.46:314:52
610.46:324:53
710.46:324:54
810.46:324:54
910.46:324:55
1010.46:324:56
1110.46:324:57
1210.46:324:57
1310.46:324:58
1410.46:324:59
1510.56:325:00
1610.56:325:00
1710.56:325:01
1810.56:325:02
1910.56:325:03
2010.56:325:03
2110.56:325:04
2210.66:315:05
2310.66:315:06
2410.66:315:06
2510.66:315:07
2610.66:305:08
2710.66:305:09
2810.76:305:10
2910.76:295:10
3010.76:295:11
3110.76:295:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.18 kWh/m² to a high of 5.58 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 3.24 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.2Moderate
203.2Moderate
213.2Moderate
223.2Moderate
233.2Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.3Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.4Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Darjeeling

In seasonPeak

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

Darjeeling's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Darjeeling?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Darjeeling for sightseeing.

What to pack for Darjeeling in January

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

In January, Darjeeling sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Darjeeling in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Darjeeling peaks around July 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeModerateJul 14UV 13Jan 12UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct7High
Nov4Moderate
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Darjeeling 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 Darjeeling is worst in January — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.8× the cleanest month (July, 10 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Darjeeling's WHO annual average of 24 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateGoodModerateJan 2138 µg/m³Jul 1810 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan39Poor
Feb38Poor
Mar31Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul10Good
Aug12Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov29Moderate
Dec35Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Darjeeling?

Darjeeling sits at 27.0°N, 88.3°E, 2,127 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Ilām, 36 km away.

Topography around Darjeeling

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Darjeeling has very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,468 m around an average of 1,773 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,493 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,404 m.

The land around Darjeeling is covered by trees (90%) within 3 km, trees (96%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,468 m
16 km
2,493 m
80 km
8,404 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Ilām 36 km · Bhadrapur 57 km · Dhankutā 93 km · Dharān 101 km · Īṭahari̇̄ 107 km · Khā̃dbāri̇̄ 111 km · Phuentsholing 113 km · Biratnagar 118 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 Darjeeling (27.0333°, 88.2667°, elevation 2,127 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. 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).