Galway weather in January

In January, Galway sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 99 mm of precipitation across 15.4 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-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 9% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Galway's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Galway's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
99 mm
15.4 wet days
Daylight
7 h 48 min
8:52 AM – 4:39 PM
Cloud cover
78%
6th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Galway is city in Ireland.

Density
1,608/km²
people per km²
Founded
1124

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 Galway reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°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
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2084
2184
2284
2384
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3183

How January really feels in Galway

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.

Galway 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 / 9915.40.77.91.2
Feb / 8412.90.69.41.4
Mar10° / 7813.30.311.52.0
Apr13° / 7613.7013.73.0
May15° / 7913.5015.64.0
Jun17° / 10°7912.9016.64.8
Jul18° / 12°8414.5016.25.0
Aug18° / 12°9114014.65.1
Sep16° / 10°7512.3012.44.6
Oct13° / 9514.1010.33.3
Nov10° / 10114.408.42.1
Dec / 10415.20.47.41.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42278
52278
62377
72377
82278
92278
102278
112278
122278
132278
142278
152278
162179
172278
182278
192179
202179
212179
222080
232080
242080
251981
262080
272080
282080
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Galway gets around 99 mm of rain and snow over 15.4 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 50% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1502
2512
3512
4522
5532
6532
7542
8542
9542
10552
11552
12542
13542
14542
15532
16522
17522
18512
19502
20492
21482
22473
23463
24453
25453
26443
27443
28443
29443
30443
31453

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 18 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 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light 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 24 min at the start of January to 8 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:59 AM to 8:33 AM, and sunset from 4:20 PM to 5:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.48:594:20
27.48:594:21
37.48:594:22
47.48:584:23
57.48:584:24
67.58:584:25
77.58:574:27
87.58:574:28
97.58:564:29
107.68:564:31
117.68:554:32
127.68:554:33
137.78:544:35
147.78:534:36
157.88:524:38
167.88:524:39
177.88:514:41
187.98:504:43
197.98:494:44
208.08:484:46
218.08:474:48
228.18:454:49
238.18:444:51
248.28:434:53
258.28:424:55
268.38:414:56
278.38:394:58
288.48:385:00
298.48:365:02
308.58:355:04
318.58:335:06

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 4.71 kWh/m² in June 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
60.5Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.8Dim
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 Galway?

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

1.2
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 Galway.

What to pack for Galway in January

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

In January, Galway sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Galway 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 27 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in February near 9°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
Feb9Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Galway 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 Galway peaks around August 11 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 11UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun6High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Galway?

Galway sits at 53.3°N, 9.1°W, 10 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Ennis, 48 km away.

EnnisLimerickAthloneTullamoreAn Muileann gCearrSligoTraleePortlaoise

Topography around Galway

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Galway has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 237 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 824 m.

The land around Galway is covered by water (35%), artificial surfaces (26%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and grassland (65%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
72 m
16 km
237 m
80 km
824 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Ennis 48 km · Limerick 73 km · Athlone 76 km · Tullamore 104 km · An Muileann gCearr 117 km · Sligo 117 km · Tralee 120 km · Portlaoise 120 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 Galway (53.2724°, -9.051°, elevation 10 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).