Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk weather in January

In January, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sees average daytime highs of -8°C and overnight lows near -17°C, with 52 mm of precipitation across 7.3 wet days and about 8.8 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 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-8°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-17°
1st coldest
Precipitation
52 mm
7.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:17 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
68%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is city in far-eastern Russia.

Density
1,208/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk reaches about -8°C in the afternoon and slips back to -17°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -13°C and -3°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

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

How January really feels in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

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.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk 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° / -17°527.39.28.80.0
Feb-7° / -16°396.27.2100.0
Mar-1° / -10°638.99.811.60.0
Apr / -3°6910.78.213.30.7
May13° / 6910.82.414.83.3
Jun16° / 619.2015.65.0
Jul20° / 12°819.5015.35.9
Aug21° / 13°10411.30146.0
Sep18° / 10412012.45.3
Oct11° / 9211.7110.62.6
Nov / -6°719.46.99.20.1
Dec-5° / -14°638.79.78.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43466
53466
63565
73664
83664
93664
103664
113763
123763
133763
143763
153763
163763
173763
183565
193565
203565
213466
223466
233367
243367
253367
263367
273367
283367
293367
303367
313466

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk gets around 52 mm of rain and snow over 7.3 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 24% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12834
22834
32833
42733
52633
62632
72531
82531
92431
102430
112330
122330
132329
142329
152329
162329
172329
182329
192329
202329
212329
222329
232328
242228
252228
262228
272227
282127
292126
302126
312126

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 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 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 4:44 PM to 5:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:214:44
28.48:214:44
38.48:214:45
48.48:214:46
58.48:214:47
68.58:214:48
78.58:204:49
88.58:204:50
98.58:204:51
108.58:204:52
118.68:194:54
128.68:194:55
138.68:194:56
148.78:184:57
158.78:184:58
168.78:175:00
178.78:165:01
188.88:165:02
198.88:155:04
208.88:145:05
218.98:145:06
228.98:135:08
238.98:125:09
249.08:115:10
259.08:105:12
269.18:095:13
279.18:095:15
289.18:085:16
299.28:065:18
309.28:055:19
319.38:045:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.38 kWh/m² to a high of 5.42 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 1.67 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.9Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
282.0Dim
292.0Moderate
302.0Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

What to pack for Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in January

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

In January, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sees daytime highs around -8°C and nights near -17°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in January

The nearest coast averages about -0°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 31 km away) is warmest in August at about 16°C and coldest in February near -1°C.

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

0°10°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan0Bracing
Feb-1Bracing
Mar-1Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun9Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug16Cool
Sep15Bracing
Oct10Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk 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 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk peaks around August 12 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 12UV 7Dec 19UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sits at 47.0°N, 142.7°E, 48 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Korsakov, 36 km away.

Topography around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 293 m around an average of 62 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,028 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,026 m.

The land around Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, trees (72%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (47%) within 80 km.

3 km
293 m
16 km
1,028 m
80 km
1,026 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Korsakov 36 km · Kholmsk 53 km · Nevel’sk 74 km · Makubetsu 190 km · Wakkanai 190 km · Poronaysk 253 km · Sovetskaya Gavan’ 289 km · Nayoro 290 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 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (46.9543°, 142.7356°, elevation 48 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).