Zakopane weather in January

In January, Zakopane sees average daytime highs of -2°C and overnight lows near -8°C, with 48 mm of precipitation across 10.9 wet days and about 8.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-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 18% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 hours at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Zakopane's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zakopane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-2°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-8°
1st coldest
Precipitation
48 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
8 h 24 min
7:37 AM – 4:02 PM
Cloud cover
73%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Zakopane is city and urban gmina of Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 19.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
324/km²
people per km²
Founded
1578

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 Zakopane reaches about -2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -8°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 3°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)
1-2-8
2-2-8
3-2-8
4-2-8
5-2-8
6-2-8
7-2-8
8-2-8
9-2-8
10-1-8
11-1-8
12-1-8
13-1-8
14-1-8
15-1-8
16-1-8
17-2-8
18-2-8
19-2-8
20-2-8
21-2-8
22-2-8
23-2-9
24-2-9
25-2-9
26-2-9
27-2-9
28-2-9
29-2-9
30-2-9
31-2-9

How January really feels in Zakopane

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.

Zakopane weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -8°4810.911.48.40.0
Feb-0° / -8°5111.411.49.80.0
Mar / -4°6112.910.611.50.1
Apr10° / 79144.813.42.0
May15° / 11717.30.715.13.7
Jun18° / 13118.2015.94.7
Jul20° / 10°14418.2015.65.1
Aug20° / 10°11215.2014.25.5
Sep15° / 8612.80.112.44.2
Oct10° / 6911.2310.52.2
Nov / -2°5310.97.18.90.2
Dec-1° / -7°4911.211.280.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22377
32377
42377
52476
62476
72575
82575
92575
102674
112773
122773
132773
142872
152971
162971
172971
182971
192971
203070
212971
222971
233070
242971
252971
262872
272971
282971
292971
302971
313070

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Zakopane gets around 48 mm of rain and snow over 10.9 wet days in January, the driest month. 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 39% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13940
23840
33839
43739
53738
63638
73637
83536
93536
103435
113434
123334
133334
143333
153333
163334
173334
183334
193334
203335
213335
223436
233436
243537
253538
263638
273639
283639
293739
303739
313740

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 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 hours at the start of January to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:42 AM to 7:23 AM, and sunset from 3:44 PM to 4:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.07:423:44
28.17:423:45
38.17:423:46
48.17:423:47
58.17:423:48
68.17:423:49
78.27:413:50
88.27:413:52
98.27:413:53
108.27:413:54
118.37:403:55
128.37:403:56
138.37:393:58
148.37:393:59
158.47:384:00
168.47:374:02
178.47:374:03
188.57:364:04
198.57:354:06
208.57:344:07
218.67:334:09
228.67:334:10
238.77:324:12
248.77:314:13
258.87:304:15
268.87:294:16
278.87:284:18
288.97:264:19
298.97:254:21
309.07:244:23
319.07:234:24

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.9 kWh/m² to a high of 5.12 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.16 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
30.9Dim
40.9Dim
51.0Dim
61.0Dim
71.0Dim
81.0Dim
91.0Dim
101.0Dim
111.1Dim
121.1Dim
131.1Dim
141.1Dim
151.1Dim
161.2Dim
171.2Dim
181.2Dim
191.2Dim
201.2Dim
211.3Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.3Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.4Dim
281.4Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Zakopane

In seasonPeak

None of Zakopane's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Zakopane's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Zakopane?

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 Zakopane.

What to pack for Zakopane in January

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

In January, Zakopane sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -8°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Zakopane in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Zakopane peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Zakopane in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Zakopane is worst in June — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Zakopane's WHO annual average of 19.8 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1925 µg/m³Dec 1513 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Zakopane?

Zakopane sits at 49.3°N, 19.9°E, 819 m above sea level, in Poland. The nearest listed city is Nowy Targ, 21 km away.

Dolný KubínRužomberokStará ĽubovňaLevoča

Topography around Zakopane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zakopane has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 438 m around an average of 929 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,817 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,365 m.

The land around Zakopane is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (29%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
438 m
16 km
1,817 m
80 km
2,365 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Nowy Targ 21 km · Liptovský Mikuláš 34 km · Poprad 37 km · Kežmarok 40 km · Dolný Kubín 48 km · Ružomberok 53 km · Stará Ľubovňa 53 km · Levoča 56 km

Poland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 52% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$28,420
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
89%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
9.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 600
Religion
Roman Catholic 71%refused to answer 21%no religion 7%

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 Zakopane (49.299°, 19.9489°, elevation 819 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).