Kristiansand weather in January

In January, Kristiansand sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 134 mm of precipitation across 15.6 wet days and about 6.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 3°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 12 min at the start of January to 7 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kristiansand's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kristiansand's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
134 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
6 h 48 min
9:13 AM – 4:02 PM
Cloud cover
72%
11th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.42 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Kristiansand is settlement in Kristiansand Municipality, Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM10 18.2 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,710/km²
people per km²
Founded
1641

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 3°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kristiansand reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 7°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13-1
23-1
33-1
43-1
53-1
63-1
73-1
83-1
93-1
103-1
113-1
123-1
133-1
143-1
153-1
163-1
173-1
183-1
193-1
203-1
213-1
223-1
232-1
242-2
252-2
262-2
272-2
282-2
292-2
302-2
312-2

How January really feels in Kristiansand

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.

Kristiansand weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -1°13415.69.36.90.0
Feb / -2°96128.58.90.0
Mar / -0°8611.45.811.40.3
Apr10° / 6911.11.8142.0
May14° / 7710.80.216.44.1
Jun18° / 10°9211017.85.5
Jul20° / 13°9511017.26.1
Aug19° / 12°12413.1015.15.7
Sep15° / 10°12713.4012.54.2
Oct10° / 14115.20.49.92.2
Nov / 1311537.60.5
Dec / -0°12314.35.66.20.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43070
53070
63070
72971
82872
92773
102773
112773
122773
132773
142773
152872
162872
172872
182872
192872
202971
213070
223169
233169
243268
253268
263268
273367
283268
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kristiansand gets around 134 mm of rain and snow over 15.6 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 53% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15026
25126
35126
45126
55226
65226
75227
85327
95327
105328
115328
125328
135329
145329
155330
165330
175231
185231
195132
205032
215032
224933
234933
244834
254734
264734
274634
284634
294534
304534
314534

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 16 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
3016light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 12 min at the start of January to 7 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:25 AM to 8:48 AM, and sunset from 3:38 PM to 4:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.29:253:38
26.29:243:39
36.39:243:40
46.39:233:42
56.39:233:43
66.49:223:44
76.49:223:46
86.49:213:48
96.59:203:49
106.59:193:51
116.69:183:53
126.69:173:54
136.79:163:56
146.79:153:58
156.89:144:00
166.89:134:02
176.99:124:04
186.99:104:06
197.09:094:08
207.09:074:10
217.19:064:12
227.29:044:14
237.29:034:16
247.39:014:19
257.48:594:21
267.48:584:23
277.58:564:25
287.68:544:27
297.68:524:30
307.78:504:32
317.88:484:34

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.42 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.07 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.42 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.3Dim
40.3Dim
50.3Dim
60.3Dim
70.3Dim
80.3Dim
90.3Dim
100.3Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.4Dim
140.4Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.5Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.6Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kristiansand?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kristiansand.

What to pack for Kristiansand in January

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

In January, Kristiansand sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Kristiansand in January

The nearest coast averages about 5°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 4°C.

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

0°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Kristiansand 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 Kristiansand peaks around July 24 at about 5 (moderate) — 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 24UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kristiansand?

Kristiansand sits at 58.1°N, 8.0°E, 12 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Grimstad, 41 km away.

Topography around Kristiansand

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kristiansand has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 160 m around an average of 30 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 317 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 996 m.

The land around Kristiansand is covered by trees (37%), water (35%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and water (37%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
160 m
16 km
317 m
80 km
996 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Grimstad 41 km · Arendal 57 km · Hjørring 140 km · Porsgrunn 146 km · Time 149 km · Skien 151 km · Sandnes 153 km · Larvik 155 km

Norway travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 91% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$94,594
2025
Happiness
7.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 613
Religion
Church of Norway 68%other Christian 4%Muslim 3%Roman Catholic 3%

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 Kristiansand (58.1467°, 7.9956°, elevation 12 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).