Yoshkar-Ola weather in January

In January, Yoshkar-Ola sees average daytime highs of -8°C and overnight lows near -13°C, with 39 mm of precipitation across 10.6 wet days and about 7.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -7°C in the first days to -9°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 36 min at the start of January to 8 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Yoshkar-Ola's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yoshkar-Ola's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-8°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-13°
1st coldest
Precipitation
39 mm
10.6 wet days
Daylight
7 h 12 min
8:23 AM – 3:32 PM
Cloud cover
91%
11th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Yoshkar-Ola is capital city of the Mari El Republic, Russia.

Density
2,672/km²
people per km²
Founded
1584

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 -7°C in the first days to -9°C by the end.

A typical January day in Yoshkar-Ola reaches about -8°C in the afternoon and slips back to -13°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -17°C and 0°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Yoshkar-Ola

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.

Yoshkar-Ola weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-8° / -13°3910.612.77.20.0
Feb-7° / -13°328.49.99.10.0
Mar / -7°378.8911.40.0
Apr10° / 4092.813.92.1
May18° / 499.90.216.15.6
Jun22° / 11°6611.7017.46.3
Jul24° / 14°7311.3016.96.8
Aug22° / 12°6210.3014.96.4
Sep15° / 5810.80.212.54.4
Oct / 6111.52.7101.1
Nov-1° / -5°4510.38.47.80.0
Dec-6° / -11°4310.811.96.60.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 91%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1595
2595
3595
4595
5595
6595
7595
8595
9595
10595
11595
12694
13793
14793
15793
16892
17991
18991
191090
201090
211090
221189
231189
241387
251387
261486
271486
281585
291585
301585
311684

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Yoshkar-Ola gets around 39 mm of rain and snow over 10.6 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 34% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13441
23442
33442
43442
53442
63441
73441
83441
93441
103441
113441
123440
133440
143440
153439
163439
173439
183439
193439
203439
213440
223440
233440
243440
253440
263440
273440
283440
293340
303340
313239

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 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 36 min at the start of January to 8 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:33 AM to 8:01 AM, and sunset from 3:10 PM to 4:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.68:333:10
26.68:333:11
36.78:333:12
46.78:323:14
56.78:323:15
66.88:313:16
76.88:313:18
86.88:303:19
96.98:293:21
106.98:293:22
116.98:283:24
127.08:273:26
137.08:263:27
147.18:253:29
157.18:243:31
167.28:233:32
177.28:223:34
187.38:213:36
197.38:193:38
207.48:183:40
217.48:173:42
227.58:153:44
237.58:143:46
247.68:123:48
257.78:113:50
267.78:093:52
277.88:083:54
287.88:063:56
297.98:043:58
308.08:034:01
318.08:014:03

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.33 kWh/m² to a high of 5.69 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.4Dim
40.4Dim
50.4Dim
60.4Dim
70.4Dim
80.4Dim
90.4Dim
100.4Dim
110.4Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.8Dim
280.8Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Yoshkar-Ola?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Yoshkar-Ola.

What to pack for Yoshkar-Ola in January

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

In January, Yoshkar-Ola sees daytime highs around -8°C and nights near -13°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 Yoshkar-Ola 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 Yoshkar-Ola peaks around June 21 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 21UV 6Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Yoshkar-Ola?

Yoshkar-Ola sits at 56.6°N, 47.9°E, 94 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Medvedevo, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Yoshkar-Ola

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yoshkar-Ola has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 41 m around an average of 95 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m.

The land around Yoshkar-Ola is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and cropland (25%) within 16 km, and trees (64%) within 80 km.

3 km
41 m
16 km
102 m
80 km
229 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Medvedevo 5.0 km · Novocheboksarsk 64 km · Cheboksary 69 km · Yaransk 74 km · Koz’modem’yansk 89 km · Volzhsk 91 km · Zelenodolsk 97 km · Vasil’yevo 103 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 Yoshkar-Ola (56.6388°, 47.8908°, elevation 94 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).