Grytviken weather in January

In January, Grytviken sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 120 mm of precipitation across 19.5 wet days and about 16.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 3°C through the month. 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 16 h 48 min at the start of January to 15 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Grytviken's 9th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grytviken's year-round climate.

Daytime high
2nd warmest
Overnight low
11th coldest
Precipitation
120 mm
19.5 wet days
Daylight
16 h 24 min
4:24 AM – 8:47 PM
Cloud cover
83%
9th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
6 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Grytviken is abandoned whaling station; settlement on the island of South Georgia–South Sandwich Islands.

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 3°C through the month.

A typical January day in Grytviken reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
120
220
330
430
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1730
1830
1930
2031
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2731
2831
2931
3031
3131

How January really feels in Grytviken

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
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Grytviken weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 12019.513.516.30.0
Feb / 11518.111.314.70.0
Mar / 13920.313.112.50.0
Apr / -1°13119.216.310.30.0
May-0° / -3°11919.218.78.30.0
Jun-2° / -5°11517.819.47.20.0
Jul-2° / -5°11818.420.87.60.0
Aug-2° / -5°12118.921.19.30.0
Sep-1° / -4°11317.219.311.50.0
Oct-0° / -3°10918.518.313.80.0
Nov / -2°10617.516.215.80.0
Dec / -1°108191616.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21486
31486
41486
51486
61486
71486
81486
91486
101486
111486
121486
131486
141486
151486
161486
171486
181486
191486
201486
211486
221486
231288
241288
251288
261189
271189
281189
291090
301090
311090

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Grytviken gets around 120 mm of rain and snow over 19.5 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 63% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days, and about 14 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16047
26147
36147
46147
56247
66247
76347
86447
96447
106547
116546
126546
136546
146646
156646
166546
176545
186545
196444
206443
216343
226342
236241
246240
256139
266139
276138
286238
296238
306238
316237

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 19 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
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 16 h 48 min at the start of January to 15 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 4:04 AM to 4:51 AM, and sunset from 8:55 PM to 8:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
116.84:048:55
216.84:058:55
316.84:068:54
416.84:078:54
516.84:088:54
616.74:098:53
716.74:118:53
816.74:128:52
916.64:138:52
1016.64:158:51
1116.64:168:51
1216.54:188:50
1316.54:198:49
1416.54:218:48
1516.44:228:48
1616.44:248:47
1716.34:268:46
1816.34:278:45
1916.24:298:44
2016.24:318:43
2116.14:338:41
2216.14:348:40
2316.04:368:39
2416.04:388:38
2515.94:408:36
2615.94:428:35
2715.84:448:34
2815.84:458:32
2915.74:478:31
3015.74:498:29
3115.64:518:28

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Grytviken?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Grytviken.

What to pack for Grytviken in January

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

In January, Grytviken sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer, a heavy coat, rain gear and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Grytviken in January

The nearest coast averages about 3°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 19 km away) is warmest in February at about 4°C and coldest in August near 0°C.

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

-2°0°2°4°6°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan3Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar4Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May2Bracing
Jun1Bracing
Jul1Bracing
Aug0Bracing
Sep0Bracing
Oct1Bracing
Nov2Bracing
Dec3Bracing

UV index in Grytviken in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Grytviken peaks around December 16 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateVery highDec 16UV 10Jun 16UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb7Very high
Mar4Moderate
Apr2Moderate
May1Low
Jun0Low
Jul1Low
Aug1Low
Sep3Moderate
Oct7Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Grytviken?

Grytviken sits at 54.3°S, 36.5°W, 4 m above sea level, in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The nearest listed city is Stanley, 1,452 km away.

Topography around Grytviken

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Grytviken has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 589 m around an average of 172 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,359 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,915 m.

The land around Grytviken is covered by bare terrain (59%) and water (24%) within 3 km, water (46%), snow and ice (24%) and bare terrain (22%) within 16 km, and water (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
589 m
16 km
2,359 m
80 km
2,915 m
grasslandbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Stanley 1,452 km · Río Grande 2,022 km · Ushuaia 2,035 km · Puerto Deseado 2,161 km · Río Gallegos 2,193 km · Punta Arenas 2,244 km · Caleta Olivia 2,342 km · Pico Truncado 2,349 km

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Grytviken (-54.2811°, -36.5092°, elevation 4 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).