Carlow weather in January

In January, Carlow sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 24 min at the start of January to 8 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Carlow's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carlow's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
7 h 54 min
8:41 AM – 4:33 PM
Cloud cover
77%
4th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Carlow is county town of County Carlow, Leinster, Ireland.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
219/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 8°C through the month.

A typical January day in Carlow reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
183
283
383
483
583
683
783
883
983
1083
1183
1283
1383
1483
1583
1683
1783
1883
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2882
2982
3082
3182

How January really feels in Carlow

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Carlow weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7112.80.57.91.1
Feb / 5811.40.89.51.3
Mar10° / 5911.50.611.52.0
Apr12° / 6812.7013.62.9
May15° / 6712.9015.54.0
Jun17° / 10°7111.6016.55.1
Jul19° / 12°6712.7016.15.4
Aug18° / 12°7311.7014.55.5
Sep16° / 10°6210.9012.44.8
Oct13° / 8012.1010.33.4
Nov10° / 7912.10.18.42.0
Dec / 7812.60.57.41.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32773
42773
52773
62773
72773
82773
92674
102674
112674
122773
132674
142575
152476
162476
172278
182278
192278
202278
212179
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
272179
282179
292179
302179
312179

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Carlow gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 12.8 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 41% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1432
2432
3432
4442
5442
6442
7442
8442
9442
10442
11442
12442
13442
14432
15432
16422
17422
18412
19411
20401
21401
22391
23391
24381
25381
26381
27382
28382
29382
30392
31393

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 15 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 24 min at the start of January to 8 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:48 AM to 8:23 AM, and sunset from 4:14 PM to 4:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.48:484:14
27.58:484:15
37.58:484:16
47.58:474:17
57.58:474:18
67.58:474:19
77.68:464:21
87.68:464:22
97.68:464:23
107.78:454:24
117.78:444:26
127.78:444:27
137.88:434:29
147.88:424:30
157.88:424:32
167.98:414:33
177.98:404:35
188.08:394:36
198.08:384:38
208.08:374:40
218.18:364:41
228.18:354:43
238.28:344:45
248.28:334:46
258.38:314:48
268.38:304:50
278.48:294:52
288.48:274:53
298.58:264:55
308.58:254:57
318.68:234:59

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.56 kWh/m² to a high of 5.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.74 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.8Dim
190.8Dim
200.8Dim
210.8Dim
220.8Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.9Dim
260.9Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
291.0Dim
301.0Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Carlow?

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

1.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Carlow.

What to pack for Carlow in January

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

In January, Carlow sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Carlow in January

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 54 km away) is warmest in September at about 15°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Carlow in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Carlow peaks around August 13 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Carlow?

Carlow sits at 52.8°N, 6.9°W, 55 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Kilkenny, 30 km away.

KilkennyPortlaoiseDroichead NuaNaasTullamoreCelbridgeTallaghtSouth Dublin

Topography around Carlow

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Carlow has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 57 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 320 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 933 m.

The land around Carlow is covered by grassland (44%) and cropland (28%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) and cropland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (64%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
320 m
80 km
933 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Kilkenny 30 km · Portlaoise 33 km · Droichead Nua 39 km · Naas 45 km · Tullamore 61 km · Celbridge 61 km · Tallaght 62 km · South Dublin 63 km

Ireland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 85% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$131,592
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
96%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 69%none 15%Protestant 4%Orthodox 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 Carlow (52.8408°, -6.9261°, elevation 55 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).