Zalău weather in January

In January, Zalău sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 44 mm of precipitation across 9.6 wet days and about 8.7 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 21% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Zalău's 10th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zalău's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
1st coldest
Precipitation
44 mm
9.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:17 AM – 4:57 PM
Cloud cover
69%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Zalău is locality in Sălaj County, Romania.

Air quality
Good
PM10 21.9 µg/m³ · 2018
Founded
1210

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 Zalău reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -4°C and 8°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 3°C cooler than February.

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12-4
22-4
32-4
42-4
52-4
62-4
72-4
82-4
92-4
102-4
112-4
122-4
132-4
142-4
152-4
162-4
172-4
182-4
192-4
202-4
212-4
222-4
232-4
242-4
252-4
262-4
272-4
282-4
292-4
302-4
312-4

How January really feels in Zalău

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.

Zalău 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 / -4°449.66.68.70.0
Feb / -3°459.75.4100.1
Mar10° / 5510.62.811.62.1
Apr16° / 6311.40.713.34.8
May21° / 10°7913.7014.85.9
Jun24° / 14°9413.8015.66.3
Jul26° / 15°9012.7015.36.4
Aug26° / 15°6610.90146.7
Sep21° / 11°7210.1012.46.6
Oct16° / 609.50.210.64.9
Nov / 519.42.29.11.8
Dec / -3°549.958.40.0

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23169
33268
43268
53268
63268
73268
83367
93367
103367
113466
123466
133565
143565
153664
163664
173763
183664
193763
203763
213664
223565
233565
243466
253466
263466
273367
283268
293268
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Zalău gets around 44 mm of rain and snow over 9.6 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 31% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13320
23220
33220
43120
53120
63019
73019
83019
92919
102919
112919
122919
132919
143019
153020
163020
173120
183121
193121
203121
213122
223122
233222
243222
253223
263223
273223
283223
293322
303322
313322

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
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:21 AM to 8:04 AM, and sunset from 4:41 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.38:214:41
28.48:214:42
38.48:214:43
48.48:214:44
58.48:214:45
68.48:204:46
78.48:204:47
88.58:204:48
98.58:204:49
108.58:194:50
118.58:194:51
128.68:194:53
138.68:184:54
148.68:184:55
158.68:174:56
168.78:174:57
178.78:164:59
188.78:155:00
198.88:155:01
208.88:145:03
218.88:135:04
228.98:135:05
238.98:125:07
249.08:115:08
259.08:105:10
269.08:095:11
279.18:085:13
289.18:075:14
299.28:065:15
309.28:055:17
319.28:045:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.99 kWh/m² to a high of 5.86 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Zalău?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zalău.

What to pack for Zalău in January

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

In January, Zalău sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Zalău 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 Zalău peaks around July 15 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 highModerateLowJul 15UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr7High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Zalău?

Zalău sits at 47.2°N, 23.1°E, 261 m above sea level, in Romania. The nearest listed city is Şimleu Silvaniei, 19 km away.

DejCluj-NapocaBaia MareSatu MareGherlaCareiBaia Sprie

Topography around Zalău

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zalău has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 202 m around an average of 288 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 701 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,725 m.

The land around Zalău is covered by trees (38%), grassland (33%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, trees (41%) and grassland (39%) within 16 km, and trees (43%), grassland (32%) and cropland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
202 m
16 km
701 m
80 km
1,725 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Şimleu Silvaniei 19 km · Dej 62 km · Cluj-Napoca 64 km · Baia Mare 64 km · Satu Mare 68 km · Gherla 68 km · Carei 69 km · Baia Sprie 71 km

Romania travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 44% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$22,538
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
82%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
10.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 605
Religion
Romanian Orthodox 85%other 5%Roman Catholic 5%Reformed 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 Zalău (47.2°, 23.05°, elevation 261 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).