Murmansk weather in January

In January, Murmansk sees average daytime highs of -8°C and overnight lows near -14°C, with 24 mm of precipitation across 7.8 wet days and about 1.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -8°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 0 hours at the start of January to 4 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Murmansk's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Murmansk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-8°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-14°
1st coldest
Precipitation
24 mm
7.8 wet days
Daylight
0 hours
— – —
Cloud cover
84%
10th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Murmansk is city in the northwest of Russia.

Density
1,913/km²
people per km²
Founded
1916

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 -8°C through the month.

A typical January day in Murmansk reaches about -8°C in the afternoon and slips back to -14°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -18°C and -0°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and on par with February.

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

How January really feels in Murmansk

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.

Murmansk weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-8° / -14°247.89.21.20.0
Feb-7° / -13°206.67.86.60.0
Mar-2° / -10°278.110.1110.0
Apr / -4°339.38.815.30.0
May / 5012.45.120.61.3
Jun13° / 6512.50.7243.3
Jul17° / 6912.70234.9
Aug15° / 6212.1017.44.1
Sep10° / 5512.20.412.92.1
Oct / -1°5412.16.68.50.1
Nov-3° / -7°298.28.23.20.0
Dec-5° / -11°278.79.800.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21486
31585
41585
51585
61585
71387
81486
91486
101486
111486
121486
131585
141585
151585
161585
171684
181684
191684
201684
211684
221684
231684
241585
251585
261585
271585
281486
291486
301585
311585

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Murmansk gets around 24 mm of rain and snow over 7.8 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 25% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12327
22327
32327
42328
52328
62428
72428
82428
92428
102529
112529
122529
132529
142529
152529
162529
172629
182629
192630
202630
212630
222630
232630
242630
252630
262530
272530
282531
292531
302531
312531

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 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 0 hours at the start of January to 4 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
100.0
110.0
120.0
130.0
140.0
150.0
160.0
170.0
180.712:371:18
191.312:201:36
201.712:081:48
212.011:591:58
222.311:502:07
232.511:432:15
242.811:362:23
253.011:292:30
263.211:232:37
273.511:172:44
283.711:112:50
293.911:052:56
304.010:593:02
314.210:543:08

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0 kWh/m² to a high of 4.51 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.02 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.0Dim
20.0Dim
30.0Dim
40.0Dim
50.0Dim
60.0Dim
70.0Dim
80.0Dim
90.0Dim
100.0Dim
110.0Dim
120.0Dim
130.0Dim
140.0Dim
150.0Dim
160.0Dim
170.0Dim
180.0Dim
190.0Dim
200.0Dim
210.0Dim
220.0Dim
230.0Dim
240.0Dim
250.1Dim
260.1Dim
270.1Dim
280.1Dim
290.1Dim
300.1Dim
310.1Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Murmansk?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Murmansk.

What to pack for Murmansk in January

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

In January, Murmansk sees daytime highs around -8°C and nights near -14°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Murmansk 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 50 km away) is warmest in August at about 10°C and coldest in March near 2°C.

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

0°5°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar2Bracing
Apr2Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep9Bracing
Oct7Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Murmansk 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 Murmansk peaks around July 13 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 3 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 13UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Low
May3Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep1Low
Oct0Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Murmansk?

Murmansk sits at 69.0°N, 33.1°E, 75 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Severomorsk, 17 km away.

Topography around Murmansk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Murmansk has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 189 m around an average of 69 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 395 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 606 m.

The land around Murmansk is covered by trees (42%), artificial surfaces (35%) and water (20%) within 3 km, trees (65%) within 16 km, and trees (39%), grassland (32%) and water (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
189 m
16 km
395 m
80 km
606 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Severomorsk 17 km · Polyarnyy 29 km · Olenegorsk 92 km · Zapolyarnyy 104 km · Monchegorsk 115 km · Nikel 124 km · Kirovsk 152 km · Apatity 155 km

Russia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 32% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$17,547
2025
Happiness
5.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
12
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 521
Religion
other Christian 2%

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 Murmansk (68.9678°, 33.0992°, elevation 75 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).