Molde weather in January

In January, Molde sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -2°C, with 159 mm of precipitation across 17.9 wet days and about 5.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 2°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 4 h 36 min at the start of January to 6 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Molde's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Molde's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-2°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
159 mm
17.9 wet days
Daylight
5 h 24 min
9:57 AM – 3:24 PM
Cloud cover
78%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Molde is town in Molde Municipality, Norway.

Density
2,468/km²
people per km²
Founded
1614

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 2°C through the month.

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

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-3
22-3
32-3
42-2
52-2
62-2
72-2
82-2
92-2
102-2
112-2
122-2
132-2
142-2
152-2
162-2
172-2
182-2
192-2
202-2
212-2
222-2
232-2
242-2
252-2
262-2
272-2
282-2
292-2
302-2
312-2

How January really feels in Molde

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.

Molde 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 / -2°15917.913.25.50.0
Feb / -3°14316.412.78.20.0
Mar / -1°13817.812.111.20.1
Apr / 10014.56.514.41.5
May12° / 9915.82.317.42.9
Jun15° / 11715.9019.43.7
Jul17° / 11°11415.8018.64.7
Aug17° / 11°14217.1015.84.5
Sep14° / 17417.2012.73.3
Oct / 15516.93.19.51.5
Nov / 13615.67.26.50.1
Dec / -2°16418.312.44.60.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
21981
31981
41981
51981
62080
72080
82080
92080
101981
111981
122080
132080
141981
151981
161981
171981
181981
191981
201981
211882
221882
231783
241783
251783
261783
271783
281783
291783
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Molde gets around 159 mm of rain and snow over 17.9 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 58% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15942
25842
35842
45842
55842
65841
75841
85741
95741
105741
115741
125741
135741
145741
155741
165741
175741
185741
195741
205741
215742
225842
235843
245844
255944
265945
276046
286146
296147
306248
316248

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 36 min at the start of January to 6 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 132 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 10:18 AM to 9:22 AM, and sunset from 2:51 PM to 4:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.610:182:51
24.610:172:53
34.610:162:55
44.710:152:56
54.710:142:58
64.810:133:00
74.810:123:02
84.910:113:04
95.010:093:07
105.010:083:09
115.110:063:11
125.210:053:14
135.210:033:16
145.310:013:19
155.49:593:21
165.49:573:24
175.59:553:27
185.69:533:29
195.79:513:32
205.89:493:35
215.89:473:38
225.99:453:41
236.09:423:43
246.19:403:46
256.29:373:49
266.39:353:52
276.49:333:55
286.59:303:58
296.69:274:01
306.79:254:04
316.89:224:07

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.09 kWh/m² to a high of 4.76 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 0.19 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.2Dim
140.2Dim
150.2Dim
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.2Dim
220.2Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Molde?

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
5th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Molde.

What to pack for Molde in January

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

In January, Molde sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -2°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear. About 18 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Molde in January

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in March near 6°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
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May8Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Molde 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 Molde peaks around June 22 at about 4 (moderate) — 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 22UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Molde?

Molde sits at 62.7°N, 7.2°E, 3 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Kristiansund, 50 km away.

TrondheimStjørdalshalsenFlamLevangerLillehammerBergen

Topography around Molde

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Molde has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 m around an average of 114 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 965 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,995 m.

The land around Molde is covered by water (45%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, water (47%), trees (32%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and water (41%), trees (22%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
518 m
16 km
965 m
80 km
1,995 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Kristiansund 50 km · Alesund 59 km · Trondheim 180 km · Stjørdalshalsen 206 km · Flam 208 km · Levanger 236 km · Lillehammer 250 km · Bergen 278 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 Molde (62.7375°, 7.1591°, elevation 3 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).