Dundalk weather in January

In January, Dundalk sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 71 mm of precipitation across 13.3 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°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 12 min at the start of January to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Dundalk's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dundalk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
71 mm
13.3 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:45 AM – 4:25 PM
Cloud cover
76%
5th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Dundalk is county town and administrative capital of County Louth, Ireland.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 14.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,747/km²
people per km²
Founded
~3499 BCE

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 7°C through the month.

A typical January day in Dundalk reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 4°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)
173
273
373
473
573
673
773
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How January really feels in Dundalk

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.

Dundalk weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7113.31.17.70.9
Feb / 5811.919.41.1
Mar / 6012.60.711.51.8
Apr12° / 6512.60.113.72.7
May14° / 6913.8015.73.7
Jun17° / 10°7513016.84.7
Jul18° / 12°7614.5016.35.1
Aug18° / 12°8313.7014.65.1
Sep16° / 10°6712.1012.54.5
Oct13° / 7812.4010.23.2
Nov10° / 8113.30.18.31.9
Dec / 7512.30.77.21.1

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 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22971
32971
42971
52971
62971
72971
82971
92872
102872
112773
122773
132773
142674
152674
162575
172575
182476
192476
202476
212476
222377
232377
242377
252377
262278
272278
282278
292278
302278
312377

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Dundalk gets around 71 mm of rain and snow over 13.3 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 43% 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 (%)
1444
2444
3444
4444
5444
6444
7444
8444
9444
10444
11444
12434
13434
14434
15434
16434
17434
18424
19424
20424
21424
22423
23423
24423
25423
26423
27413
28413
29412
30412
31423

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 12 min at the start of January to 8 h 24 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 8:53 AM to 8:26 AM, and sunset from 4:05 PM to 4:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.28:534:05
27.28:524:06
37.28:524:07
47.38:524:08
57.38:524:09
67.38:514:11
77.48:514:12
87.48:504:13
97.48:504:15
107.48:494:16
117.58:494:17
127.58:484:19
137.68:474:20
147.68:474:22
157.68:464:24
167.78:454:25
177.78:444:27
187.88:434:28
197.88:424:30
207.98:414:32
217.98:404:34
227.98:384:35
238.08:374:37
248.08:364:39
258.18:354:41
268.28:334:43
278.28:324:44
288.38:304:46
298.38:294:48
308.48:274:50
318.48:264:52

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.49 kWh/m² to a high of 4.81 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 0.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.8Dim
280.8Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Dundalk?

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

0.9
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 Dundalk.

What to pack for Dundalk in January

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

In January, Dundalk sees daytime highs around 7°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 Dundalk 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 14 km away) is warmest in August 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.

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Dundalk 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 Dundalk peaks around August 10 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dundalk?

Dundalk sits at 54.0°N, 6.4°W, 18 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Newry, 21 km away.

DroghedaBanbridgeNavanBalbrigganPortadownCraigavonSwords

Topography around Dundalk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dundalk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 58 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 582 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m.

The land around Dundalk is covered by grassland (51%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) within 16 km, and grassland (62%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
58 m
16 km
582 m
80 km
852 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Newry 21 km · Drogheda 32 km · Banbridge 40 km · Navan 42 km · Balbriggan 46 km · Portadown 47 km · Craigavon 50 km · Swords 61 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 Dundalk (54°, -6.4167°, elevation 18 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).