Skien weather in January

In January, Skien sees average daytime highs of -0°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 96 mm of precipitation across 12.1 wet days and about 6.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -0°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 5 h 54 min at the start of January to 7 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Skien's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Skien's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-0°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
96 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
6 h 36 min
9:14 AM – 3:47 PM
Cloud cover
67%
9th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Skien is town/city in Skien Municipality, Norway.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 7.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,896/km²
people per km²
Founded
1358

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 -0°C through the month.

A typical January day in Skien reaches about -0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-5
20-5
30-5
40-5
50-5
60-5
70-5
80-5
90-5
100-5
110-5
120-5
130-5
140-5
150-5
160-5
170-5
180-5
190-5
200-5
210-5
220-5
230-5
240-5
250-5
260-5
270-6
280-6
290-6
300-6
310-6

How January really feels in Skien

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
5 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Skien weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-0° / -5°9612.110.66.60.0
Feb / -5°649.38.68.80.0
Mar / -3°659.16.911.30.2
Apr10° / 619.63.614.12.1
May15° / 7710.70.616.64.4
Jun18° / 9612.1018.15.6
Jul20° / 12°10212.5017.55.9
Aug19° / 11°11113.3015.25.7
Sep15° / 10311.9012.64.3
Oct / 10812.61.49.81.9
Nov / -0°109135.47.30.1
Dec / -4°8612.38.25.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43763
53763
63664
73565
83664
93664
103664
113565
123565
133565
143565
153565
163565
173664
183664
193664
203664
213664
223763
233862
243862
253862
263862
273862
283862
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Skien gets around 96 mm of rain and snow over 12.1 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 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14032
24032
34032
44032
54033
64033
74033
84033
94133
104133
114133
124133
134134
144034
154034
164034
174034
183934
193935
203935
213935
223835
233835
243836
253836
263736
273736
283735
293735
303635
313635

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 10 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
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 5 h 54 min at the start of January to 7 h 36 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 9:27 AM to 8:48 AM, and sunset from 3:22 PM to 4:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
15.99:273:22
25.99:273:23
36.09:273:25
46.09:263:26
56.09:263:27
66.19:253:29
76.19:243:31
86.19:233:32
96.29:223:34
106.29:213:36
116.39:203:38
126.39:193:39
136.49:183:41
146.49:173:43
156.59:163:45
166.69:143:47
176.69:133:49
186.79:113:52
196.79:103:54
206.89:083:56
216.99:073:58
226.99:054:00
237.09:034:03
247.19:024:05
257.19:004:07
267.28:584:10
277.38:564:12
287.38:544:15
297.48:524:17
307.58:504:19
317.68:484:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.23 kWh/m² to a high of 5.73 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.4 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
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.6Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.7Dim
310.7Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Skien?

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 Skien.

What to pack for Skien in January

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

In January, Skien sees daytime highs around -0°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Skien 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 at the nearest coast (about 37 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°5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr6Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct12Bracing
Nov9Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Skien 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 Skien peaks around July 20 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 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 20UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Skien?

Skien sits at 59.2°N, 9.6°E, 27 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Porsgrunn, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Skien

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Skien has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 300 m around an average of 52 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 635 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,422 m.

The land around Skien is covered by trees (41%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (77%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and water (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
300 m
16 km
635 m
80 km
1,422 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Porsgrunn 8.0 km · Larvik 30 km · Sandefjord 36 km · Tønsberg 46 km · Kongsberg 51 km · Horten 55 km · Moss 65 km · Drammen 68 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 Skien (59.2096°, 9.609°, elevation 27 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).