Oslo weather in January

In January, Oslo sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 72 mm of precipitation across 10.9 wet days and about 6.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-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 21% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 5 h 42 min at the start of January to 7 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Oslo's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Oslo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
72 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
6 h 24 min
9:16 AM – 3:37 PM
Cloud cover
71%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Oslo is capital city of Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
39,933/km²
people per km²
Founded
1048

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 Oslo reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -7°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -9°C and 4°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-2-7
2-2-7
3-2-7
4-2-7
5-2-7
6-2-7
7-2-7
8-2-7
9-1-6
10-1-6
11-1-6
12-1-6
13-1-6
14-1-6
15-1-6
16-1-6
17-2-6
18-2-7
19-2-7
20-2-7
21-2-7
22-2-7
23-2-7
24-2-7
25-2-7
26-2-7
27-2-7
28-2-7
29-2-7
30-2-7
31-2-7

How January really feels in Oslo

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Oslo weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -7°7210.910.56.40.0
Feb-1° / -7°528.58.48.70.0
Mar / -4°548.27.111.30.1
Apr / 559.13.314.12.0
May15° / 7711.40.816.74.3
Jun19° / 9512.3018.35.5
Jul21° / 12°10012.7017.75.9
Aug19° / 11°11214.2015.35.6
Sep15° / 8910.8012.64.3
Oct / 9411.71.49.81.6
Nov / -1°921267.20.0
Dec-1° / -5°7111.18.15.70.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33268
43268
53268
63268
73268
83268
93169
103169
113169
123268
133268
143268
153169
163169
173169
183169
193169
203169
213169
223169
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283268
293268
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Oslo gets around 72 mm of rain and snow over 10.9 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13732
23733
33733
43733
53733
63733
73733
83633
93633
103634
113634
123634
133634
143534
153534
163534
173534
183534
193434
203434
213434
223434
233434
243434
253434
263434
273334
283334
293334
303334
313334

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 5 h 42 min at the start of January to 7 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 102 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:30 AM to 8:48 AM, and sunset from 3:11 PM to 4:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
15.79:303:11
25.79:293:12
35.79:293:13
45.89:283:15
55.89:283:16
65.99:273:18
75.99:263:20
85.99:253:21
96.09:243:23
106.09:233:25
116.19:223:27
126.19:213:29
136.29:203:31
146.29:183:33
156.39:173:35
166.49:163:37
176.49:143:39
186.59:123:42
196.59:113:44
206.69:093:46
216.79:073:48
226.89:063:51
236.89:043:53
246.99:023:56
257.09:003:58
267.08:584:00
277.18:564:03
287.28:544:05
297.38:524:08
307.38:504:10
317.48:484:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.19 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.36 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.2Dim
20.2Dim
30.2Dim
40.2Dim
50.2Dim
60.2Dim
70.3Dim
80.3Dim
90.3Dim
100.3Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.3Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Oslo?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Oslo.

What to pack for Oslo in January

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

In January, Oslo sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Oslo in January

The nearest coast averages about 4°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 60 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 3°C.

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

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Oslo 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 Oslo peaks around July 15 at about 5 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 15UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Oslo?

Oslo sits at 59.9°N, 10.7°E, 26 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Lillestrøm, 18 km away.

Topography around Oslo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Oslo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 169 m around an average of 41 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 535 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,381 m.

The land around Oslo is covered by artificial surfaces (47%), trees (29%) and water (21%) within 3 km, trees (63%) within 16 km, and trees (75%) within 80 km.

3 km
169 m
16 km
535 m
80 km
1,381 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Lillestrøm 18 km · Asker 19 km · Drammen 36 km · Moss 53 km · Horten 57 km · Kongsberg 67 km · Sarpsborg 73 km · Tønsberg 74 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 Oslo (59.9127°, 10.7461°, elevation 26 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).