Kolkata weather in January

In January, Kolkata sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 13 mm of rain across 1.7 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kolkata's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kolkata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
12th warmest
Overnight low
14°
1st coldest
Rainfall
13 mm
1.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:23 AM – 5:09 PM
Cloud cover
20%
1st clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.9
out of 10

Kolkata is capital city of West Bengal, India.

Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 55.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
22,474/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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kolkata reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 4°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12514
22514
32513
42513
52513
62513
72513
82513
92513
102513
112513
122513
132513
142513
152513
162513
172513
182613
192614
202614
212614
222614
232614
242614
252614
262614
272614
282614
292714
302715
312715

How January really feels in Kolkata

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.

Kolkata 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
Jan26° / 14°131.710.88.9
Feb29° / 17°242.711.27.1
Mar33° / 22°304.311.84.3
Apr35° / 26°688.812.52.6
May35° / 27°12211.713.12.3
Jun33° / 27°26521.913.42.2
Jul32° / 27°34828.813.22.2
Aug32° / 27°30829.312.82.2
Sep32° / 26°25024.912.12.5
Oct31° / 24°13112.911.54.3
Nov29° / 19°292.210.96.8
Dec26° / 15°10110.68.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28515
38515
48515
58515
68515
78515
88515
98515
108614
118614
128713
138812
148812
158911
168911
179010
189010
199010
209010
219010
229010
238911
248911
258911
268911
278911
288713
298713
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kolkata gets around 13 mm of rain over 1.7 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 5% and peaks near 6% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
24
34
45
55
65
75
85
95
105
115
125
135
146
156
166
176
185
195
205
215
225
235
245
256
266
276
286
296
306
316

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 54% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15632102
25632102
35731102
45631112
55631112
65730112
75630122
85629132
95629132
105628142
115628142
125528152
135627152
145627152
155627152
165626162
175626162
185626162
195527162
205527162
215527162
225527162
235427163
245427163
255328163
265129164
275029174
284830174
294631185
304432195
314232206

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:21 AM to 6:21 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 5:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.66:214:59
210.66:214:59
310.66:215:00
410.76:215:01
510.76:225:01
610.76:225:02
710.76:225:03
810.76:225:03
910.76:225:04
1010.76:235:05
1110.76:235:05
1210.76:235:06
1310.76:235:07
1410.76:235:07
1510.76:235:08
1610.86:235:09
1710.86:235:09
1810.86:235:10
1910.86:235:11
2010.86:235:11
2110.86:235:12
2210.86:235:13
2310.86:235:13
2410.96:235:14
2510.96:225:15
2610.96:225:15
2710.96:225:16
2810.96:225:17
2910.96:225:17
3010.96:215:18
3111.06:215:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.32 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4.52 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kolkata

In seasonPeak

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

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

Kolkata's monsoon runs June–September, 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 Kolkata?

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

8.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Kolkata in January

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

In January, Kolkata sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kolkata 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 Kolkata peaks around July 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 15 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateModerateJul 19UV 12Jan 15UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul13Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct5Moderate
Nov5High
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Kolkata 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 Kolkata is worst in January — around 112 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.8× the cleanest month (July, 17 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kolkata's WHO annual average of 55.8 µg/m³.

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateUnhealthyJan 10112 µg/m³Jul 1417 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan112Unhealthy
Feb91Unhealthy
Mar58Unhealthy
Apr30Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct58Unhealthy
Nov103Unhealthy
Dec111Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kolkata?

Kolkata sits at 22.6°N, 88.4°E, 11 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Jessore, 110 km away.

RajshahiBarisalDhakaPaharpurMymensingh

Topography around Kolkata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kolkata has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 34 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m.

The land around Kolkata is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (39%) within 16 km, and cropland (50%) and trees (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
24 m
16 km
34 m
80 km
39 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Jessore 110 km · Khulna 126 km · Bagerhat 147 km · Rajshahi 203 km · Barisal 207 km · Dhaka 245 km · Paharpur 281 km · Mymensingh 321 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 Kolkata (22.5626°, 88.363°, elevation 11 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). 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).