Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky weather in January

In January, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky sees average daytime highs of -6°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 116 mm of precipitation across 12.3 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -6°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 7 h 24 min at the start of January to 8 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-6°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
1st coldest
Precipitation
116 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
7 h 48 min
9:40 AM – 5:30 PM
Cloud cover
68%
7th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is city in far-eastern Russia.

Density
500/km²
people per km²
Founded
1740

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 -6°C through the month.

A typical January day in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky reaches about -6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -9°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -11°C and -0°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)
1-6-9
2-6-9
3-6-9
4-6-9
5-6-9
6-6-9
7-6-9
8-6-9
9-6-9
10-6-9
11-6-9
12-6-9
13-6-9
14-6-9
15-6-9
16-6-9
17-6-9
18-6-9
19-6-9
20-6-9
21-6-9
22-6-9
23-6-9
24-6-9
25-6-9
26-6-9
27-6-9
28-6-9
29-6-9
30-6-9
31-6-9

How January really feels in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

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.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-6° / -9°11612.313.67.90.0
Feb-5° / -9°9110.311.59.50.0
Mar-2° / -6°11411.612.611.50.0
Apr / -3°9610.110.913.60.0
May / 6895.215.50.3
Jun10° / 639.90.216.62.1
Jul13° / 10°729.9016.23.7
Aug15° / 11°10710.9014.54.2
Sep12° / 10810.90.212.43.2
Oct / 13912.5310.30.9
Nov / -3°13611.7108.40.0
Dec-5° / -8°11710.911.37.40.0

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 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
23961
33961
43862
53763
63763
73763
83664
93565
103466
113466
123367
133367
143466
153367
163565
173565
183565
193565
203565
213565
223664
233664
243763
253664
263664
273664
283664
293763
303763
313664

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky gets around 116 mm of rain and snow over 12.3 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 42% on the wettest days, and about 14 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13740
23741
33741
43842
53842
63843
73943
83943
93944
103944
113944
123944
133944
143944
153944
163944
173944
183944
193944
203944
213944
223944
234044
244044
254144
264145
274145
284145
294245
304245
314246

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 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 24 min at the start of January to 8 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:47 AM to 9:22 AM, and sunset from 5:10 PM to 5:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.49:475:10
27.49:475:11
37.49:475:12
47.59:465:14
57.59:465:15
67.59:465:16
77.59:455:17
87.69:455:18
97.69:455:20
107.69:445:21
117.69:435:22
127.79:435:24
137.79:425:25
147.89:415:27
157.89:415:28
167.89:405:30
177.99:395:31
187.99:385:33
198.09:375:35
208.09:365:36
218.19:355:38
228.19:345:40
238.19:335:41
248.29:315:43
258.29:305:45
268.39:295:47
278.39:285:48
288.49:265:50
298.59:255:52
308.59:235:54
318.69:225:56

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.76 kWh/m² to a high of 5.49 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 0.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.9Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
181.0Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.0Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.1Dim
251.1Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.2Dim
291.2Dim
301.3Dim
311.3Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky?

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 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

What to pack for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in January

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

In January, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky sees daytime highs around -6°C and nights near -9°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 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in January

The nearest coast averages about 1°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 21 km away) is warmest in August at about 12°C and coldest in March near 0°C.

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

0°5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan1Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May3Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep11Bracing
Oct8Bracing
Nov5Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 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 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky peaks around May 23 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowMay 23UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky?

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky sits at 53.1°N, 158.6°E, 166 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Vilyuchinsk, 21 km away.

MagadanOkhaPoronayskNikolayevsk-on-AmureYuzhno-SakhalinskKorsakov

Topography around Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 373 m around an average of 136 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 623 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,421 m.

The land around Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 3 km, trees (46%), water (24%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
373 m
16 km
623 m
80 km
3,421 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Vilyuchinsk 21 km · Yelizovo 21 km · Magadan 868 km · Okha 1,040 km · Poronaysk 1,162 km · Nikolayevsk-on-Amure 1,192 km · Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk 1,319 km · Korsakov 1,338 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 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (53.0639°, 158.6275°, elevation 166 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).