Sanandaj weather in January

In January, Sanandaj sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 64 mm of precipitation across 9.8 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 3°C in the first days to 1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sanandaj's 12th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sanandaj's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
1st coldest
Precipitation
64 mm
9.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:35 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
3.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sanandaj is city in Kurdistan Province, Iran.

Air quality
High
PM10 99.6 µg/m³ · 2010
Density
115/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

Highs ease over the month, from about 3°C in the first days to 1°C by the end.

A typical January day in Sanandaj reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -6°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 4°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-6
23-6
33-6
43-6
53-6
63-7
73-7
82-7
92-7
102-7
112-7
122-8
132-8
142-8
151-8
161-8
171-8
181-8
191-8
201-8
211-8
221-8
231-8
241-8
251-8
261-8
271-8
281-8
291-8
302-8
312-8

How January really feels in Sanandaj

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
23 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Sanandaj weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -8°649.89.29.90.0
Feb / -6°679.6810.70.1
Mar10° / -1°7611.25.211.72.4
Apr16° / 6210.70.712.95.2
May23° / 296.8013.87.5
Jun30° / 14°20.5014.36.7
Jul34° / 17°10.2014.13.8
Aug34° / 16°00.2013.33.9
Sep29° / 12°10.5012.27.3
Oct22° / 265011.17.9
Nov13° / 527.71.410.13.7
Dec / -4°578.35.99.70.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
34951
44951
54951
64951
74951
84951
94951
104951
114951
124951
134951
144951
154951
164951
174852
184852
194753
204753
214753
224753
234753
244654
254654
264753
274753
284852
294852
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sanandaj gets around 64 mm of rain and snow over 9.8 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 31% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12925
23026
33026
43127
53128
63128
73129
83129
93129
103129
113129
123029
133029
143029
152929
162929
172928
182928
192928
203029
213029
223029
233130
243230
253231
263331
273332
283432
293432
303532
313532

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 6 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 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 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:35 AM to 7:29 AM, and sunset from 5:15 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:355:15
29.77:365:16
39.77:365:16
49.77:365:17
59.77:365:18
69.77:365:19
79.77:365:19
89.77:365:20
99.77:365:21
109.87:365:22
119.87:365:23
129.87:365:24
139.87:365:24
149.87:365:25
159.87:365:26
169.97:355:27
179.97:355:28
189.97:355:29
199.97:355:30
209.97:345:31
2110.07:345:32
2210.07:345:33
2310.07:335:34
2410.07:335:35
2510.17:325:36
2610.17:325:37
2710.17:315:38
2810.17:315:39
2910.27:305:40
3010.27:305:41
3110.27:295:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.73 kWh/m² to a high of 8.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.16 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.9Moderate
42.9Moderate
52.9Moderate
62.9Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Sanandaj?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sanandaj.

What to pack for Sanandaj in January

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

In January, Sanandaj sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Sanandaj 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 Sanandaj peaks around July 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 14UV 11Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sanandaj 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 Sanandaj is worst in May — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateMay 935 µg/m³Dec 2323 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr35Moderate
May35Poor
Jun28Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sanandaj?

Sanandaj sits at 35.3°N, 47.0°E, 1,494 m above sea level, in Iran. The nearest listed city is Kāmyārān, 58 km away.

Topography around Sanandaj

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sanandaj has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 541 m around an average of 1,555 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,335 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,736 m.

The land around Sanandaj is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, grassland (75%) within 16 km, and grassland (59%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
541 m
16 km
1,335 m
80 km
2,736 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Kāmyārān 58 km · Pāveh 66 km · Dīvāndarreh 67 km · Javānrūd 73 km · Ravānsar 74 km · Qorveh 75 km · Marīvān 77 km · Sonqor 81 km

Iran travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 352% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,924
2025
Happiness
5.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
94%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.4
per 100k, 2014
Road deaths
21.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 492
Religion
Muslim 99%Christian 1%Baha'i 0%agnostic 0%

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 Sanandaj (35.315°, 46.9988°, elevation 1,494 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).