Sortavala weather in January

In January, Sortavala sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 51 mm of precipitation across 12.1 wet days and about 5.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -3°C in the first days to -5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 5 hours at the start of January to 7 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sortavala's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sortavala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
51 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
5 h 48 min
10:12 AM – 4:01 PM
Cloud cover
91%
12th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.2 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sortavala is town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia.

Density
1,384/km²
people per km²
Founded
1468

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about -3°C in the first days to -5°C by the end.

A typical January day in Sortavala reaches about -4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -9°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -13°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and on par with February.

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

How January really feels in Sortavala

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.

Sortavala weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-4° / -9°5112.113.75.90.0
Feb-4° / -9°4410.512.18.40.0
Mar / -5°419.89.911.30.0
Apr / -0°358.43.614.30.7
May13° / 479.20.417.23.5
Jun17° / 10°6110.90195.4
Jul21° / 14°7011.6018.26.1
Aug19° / 12°7512.2015.65.7
Sep14° / 5710.6012.63.7
Oct / 64121.79.60.9
Nov / -1°6312.36.96.70.0
Dec-2° / -5°6513.412.750.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1892
2892
3892
4892
5892
6892
7892
8892
9892
10892
11892
12892
13892
14892
15892
16892
17892
18793
19892
20892
21892
22892
23892
24892
25892
26892
27892
28793
29793
30793
31793

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Sortavala gets around 51 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 40% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 14 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14043
24044
34044
44044
54044
64044
74044
84044
94044
104044
114044
124044
134043
144043
154043
163943
173943
183943
193943
203943
213943
223944
233944
243945
254045
264046
274046
284047
294147
304148
314148

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 18 km/h in January.

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

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 5 hours at the start of January to 7 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 120 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 10:30 AM to 9:40 AM, and sunset from 3:31 PM to 4:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
15.010:303:31
25.010:293:32
35.110:293:34
45.110:283:35
55.210:273:37
65.210:263:39
75.310:253:41
85.310:243:43
95.410:233:45
105.410:213:47
115.510:203:49
125.510:193:51
135.610:173:54
145.710:163:56
155.710:143:58
165.810:124:01
175.910:104:03
186.010:094:06
196.010:074:08
206.110:054:11
216.210:034:13
226.310:014:16
236.39:594:19
246.49:564:21
256.59:544:24
266.69:524:27
276.79:504:30
286.89:474:32
296.89:454:35
306.99:434:38
317.09:404:41

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.2 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.1 kWh/m² to a high of 5.67 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.2 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.2Dim
120.2Dim
130.2Dim
140.2Dim
150.2Dim
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.3Dim
220.3Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.4Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Sortavala?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sortavala.

What to pack for Sortavala in January

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

In January, Sortavala sees daytime highs around -4°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 Sortavala in January

The nearest coast averages about 2°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 16°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan2Bracing
Feb1Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May3Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug16Cool
Sep13Bracing
Oct9Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec4Bracing

UV index in Sortavala 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 Sortavala peaks around July 13 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateModerateLowJul 13UV 5Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sortavala?

Sortavala sits at 61.7°N, 30.7°E, 3 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Priozërsk, 81 km away.

Topography around Sortavala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sortavala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 292 m.

The land around Sortavala is covered by trees (47%) and water (21%) within 3 km, trees (66%) and water (23%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
98 m
16 km
188 m
80 km
292 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Priozërsk 81 km · Savonlinna 98 km · Joensuu 110 km · Svetogorsk 119 km · Imatra 120 km · Kontiolahti 125 km · Lappeenranta 153 km · Vyborg 153 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 Sortavala (61.7123°, 30.7095°, elevation 3 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).