Medan weather in January

In January, Medan sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 203 mm of rain across 24.7 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Medan's 5th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Medan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
9th warmest
Overnight low
23°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
203 mm
24.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:40 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
83%
5th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Medan is city in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia.

Founded
1590

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 31°C through the month.

A typical January day in Medan reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13023
23023
33023
43023
53023
63023
73023
83123
93123
103123
113123
123123
133123
143123
153123
163123
173123
183123
193123
203123
213123
223123
233123
243123
253123
263123
273123
283123
293123
303123
313123

How January really feels in Medan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Medan weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°20324.711.83.0
Feb31° / 23°14520.511.93.0
Mar32° / 23°19023.1122.7
Apr32° / 23°24326.112.12.3
May32° / 23°27927.112.22.3
Jun32° / 23°20922.912.22.7
Jul32° / 23°2172412.22.8
Aug31° / 23°24926.112.12.6
Sep31° / 23°35328.2122.4
Oct31° / 23°39329.511.92.4
Nov30° / 23°36628.711.82.5
Dec30° / 23°30227.911.82.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11090
21090
31090
41189
51288
61288
71288
81387
91387
101387
111387
121387
131387
141387
151486
161486
171486
181486
191585
201684
211684
221684
231684
241684
251783
261783
271684
281684
291783
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Medan gets around 203 mm of rain over 24.7 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 80% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
185
285
384
484
584
684
783
883
983
1082
1182
1282
1381
1481
1580
1680
1779
1879
1978
2078
2177
2277
2377
2476
2576
2676
2775
2875
2975
3075
3175

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 85% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
118415
218415
318415
418316
518316
618316
718316
818316
918316
1018415
1118415
1218415
1318415
1418415
1518514
1618514
1718514
1818613
1918613
2018613
2118712
2218712
2318712
2418712
2518712
2618712
2718712
2828612
2928612
3028612
3128513

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of January to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:35 AM to 6:43 AM, and sunset from 6:22 PM to 6:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:356:22
211.86:356:23
311.86:356:23
411.86:366:24
511.86:366:24
611.86:376:25
711.86:376:25
811.86:376:26
911.86:386:26
1011.86:386:27
1111.86:396:27
1211.86:396:27
1311.86:396:28
1411.86:406:28
1511.86:406:29
1611.86:406:29
1711.86:416:29
1811.86:416:30
1911.86:416:30
2011.86:416:31
2111.86:426:31
2211.86:426:31
2311.86:426:32
2411.86:426:32
2511.86:426:32
2611.86:436:33
2711.86:436:33
2811.86:436:33
2911.86:436:33
3011.86:436:34
3111.86:436:34

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.1 kWh/m² to a high of 5.51 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.75 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Medan

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is January a good time to visit Medan?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Medan.

What to pack for Medan in January

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

In January, Medan sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Medan in January

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 40 km away) is warmest in June at about 30°C and coldest in January near 29°C.

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

28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Medan in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Medan peaks around February 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 19UV 14Jun 23UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Medan 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 Medan is worst in September — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 1632 µg/m³Dec 1123 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr31Moderate
May30Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Medan?

Medan sits at 3.6°N, 98.7°E, 26 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Sunggal, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Medan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Medan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 127 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,429 m.

The land around Medan is covered by artificial surfaces (85%) within 3 km, trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and water (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
25 m
16 km
127 m
80 km
2,429 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Sunggal 6.0 km · Deli Tua 9.0 km · Binjai 20 km · Belawan 21 km · Percut 22 km · Stabat 29 km · Perbaungan 32 km · Labuhan Deli 33 km

Indonesia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,060
2025
Happiness
5.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
11.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 471
Religion
Muslim 87%Protestant 8%Roman Catholic 3%Hindu 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 Medan (3.5833°, 98.6667°, elevation 26 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).