Letterkenny weather in January

In January, Letterkenny sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 108 mm of precipitation across 18.5 wet days and about 7.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-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 6% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 hours at the start of January to 8 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Letterkenny's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Letterkenny's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
108 mm
18.5 wet days
Daylight
7 h 30 min
8:55 AM – 4:25 PM
Cloud cover
80%
8th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Letterkenny is town in County Donegal, Ireland.

Density
472/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 7°C through the month.

A typical January day in Letterkenny 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 Letterkenny

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.

Letterkenny 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 / 10818.527.60.8
Feb / 9115.91.89.31.0
Mar / 88171.311.41.5
Apr11° / 8016.10.313.82.3
May14° / 8615.9015.83.3
Jun16° / 10°92160173.9
Jul17° / 12°10118016.54.3
Aug17° / 12°10517.8014.74.3
Sep15° / 10°8815.5012.53.9
Oct13° / 10517.1010.22.8
Nov10° / 11018.80.38.11.6
Dec / 11318.11.270.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% 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 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
21981
31981
41981
52080
61981
71981
81882
91882
101882
111882
121882
131882
141783
151882
161783
171783
181783
191684
201684
211684
221684
231684
241684
251684
261684
271783
281783
291783
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Letterkenny gets around 108 mm of rain and snow over 18.5 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 60% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1616
2616
3616
4616
5617
6627
7627
8627
9628
10628
11628
12628
13628
14628
15628
16618
17618
18607
19607
20597
21597
22586
23586
24586
25576
26576
27576
28576
29586
30586
31586

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 hours at the start of January to 8 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:04 AM to 8:35 AM, and sunset from 4:04 PM to 4:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.09:044:04
27.09:044:05
37.19:034:07
47.19:034:08
57.19:034:09
67.19:024:10
77.29:024:11
87.29:014:13
97.29:014:14
107.39:004:16
117.39:004:17
127.38:594:19
137.48:584:20
147.48:574:22
157.58:564:23
167.58:554:25
177.58:544:27
187.68:534:29
197.68:524:30
207.78:514:32
217.78:504:34
227.88:494:36
237.88:474:38
247.98:464:39
257.98:454:41
268.08:434:43
278.18:424:45
288.18:404:47
298.28:394:49
308.28:374:51
318.38:354:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.42 kWh/m² to a high of 4.85 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 0.56 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.4Dim
20.4Dim
30.4Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.8Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Letterkenny?

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

0.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Letterkenny.

What to pack for Letterkenny in January

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

In January, Letterkenny sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Letterkenny 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 45 km away) is warmest in August at about 15°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
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Letterkenny in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Letterkenny peaks around May 24 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowMay 24UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Letterkenny?

Letterkenny sits at 55.0°N, 7.7°W, 8 m above sea level, in Ireland. The nearest listed city is Londonderry County Borough, 28 km away.

Londonderry County BoroughDerryOmaghColeraineSligoBallymenaAntrimPortadown

Topography around Letterkenny

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Letterkenny has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 199 m around an average of 73 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 452 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 706 m.

The land around Letterkenny is covered by grassland (60%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, grassland (72%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
199 m
16 km
452 m
80 km
706 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Londonderry County Borough 28 km · Derry 28 km · Omagh 48 km · Coleraine 71 km · Sligo 89 km · Ballymena 94 km · Antrim 101 km · Portadown 101 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 Letterkenny (54.95°, -7.7333°, elevation 8 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).