Karlstad weather in January

In January, Karlstad sees average daytime highs of -0°C and overnight lows near -5°C, with 52 mm of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 6.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -0°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 5 h 54 min at the start of January to 7 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Karlstad's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karlstad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-0°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-5°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
52 mm
10.3 wet days
Daylight
6 h 30 min
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Cloud cover
73%
10th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Karlstad is urban area in Karlstad Municipality, Sweden.

Air quality
Good
PM10 17.2 µg/m³ · 2019

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 -0°C through the month.

A typical January day in Karlstad reaches about -0°C in the afternoon and slips back to -5°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -7°C and 5°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-5
20-5
30-5
40-5
50-5
60-5
70-5
80-4
90-4
100-4
110-4
120-4
130-4
140-4
150-4
160-4
170-4
180-4
190-5
200-5
210-5
220-5
230-5
240-5
250-5
260-5
270-5
280-5
290-5
300-5
310-5

How January really feels in Karlstad

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
12 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Karlstad weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-0° / -5°5210.37.56.60.0
Feb / -5°408.26.78.70.0
Mar / -3°377.84.811.30.3
Apr10° / 418.51.814.12.4
May16° / 6110.80.216.64.7
Jun19° / 10°7711.6018.15.8
Jul22° / 13°7812.4017.56.1
Aug20° / 12°8813.1015.35.9
Sep16° / 649.9012.64.7
Oct10° / 6411.30.79.82.0
Nov / 5911.13.17.30.1
Dec / -4°5710.76.15.90.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22971
32872
42872
52872
62773
72872
82872
92773
102773
112674
122674
132674
142575
152674
162674
172674
182674
192872
202872
212971
222971
232971
243070
253070
263169
273169
283169
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Karlstad gets around 52 mm of rain and snow over 10.3 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 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13726
23726
33726
43725
53725
63725
73725
83725
93624
103624
113624
123524
133524
143424
153424
163323
173223
183223
193123
203124
213124
223124
233125
243125
253125
263126
273126
283126
293126
303126
313126

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 13 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 5 h 54 min at the start of January to 7 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:13 AM to 8:33 AM, and sunset from 3:05 PM to 4:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
15.99:133:05
25.99:133:06
35.99:133:07
45.99:123:09
56.09:123:10
66.09:113:12
76.19:103:13
86.19:093:15
96.19:083:17
106.29:073:19
116.29:063:21
126.39:053:22
136.39:043:24
146.49:033:26
156.49:013:28
166.59:003:30
176.68:593:33
186.68:573:35
196.78:563:37
206.88:543:39
216.88:523:41
226.98:513:44
236.98:493:46
247.08:473:48
257.18:453:51
267.28:433:53
277.28:423:55
287.38:403:58
297.48:384:00
307.58:354:03
317.58:334:05

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.79 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.36 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.2Dim
20.2Dim
30.2Dim
40.2Dim
50.2Dim
60.3Dim
70.3Dim
80.3Dim
90.3Dim
100.3Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.3Dim
140.3Dim
150.3Dim
160.3Dim
170.3Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.4Dim
220.4Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.5Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Karlstad?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Karlstad.

What to pack for Karlstad in January

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

In January, Karlstad sees daytime highs around -0°C and nights near -5°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Karlstad 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 Karlstad peaks around June 17 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 17UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Karlstad?

Karlstad sits at 59.4°N, 13.5°E, 58 m above sea level, in Sweden. The nearest listed city is Kristinehamn, 35 km away.

ÖrebroKumlaLidköpingSkövdeHalden

Topography around Karlstad

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Karlstad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 48 m around an average of 51 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 113 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 434 m.

The land around Karlstad is covered by artificial surfaces (33%) and trees (30%) within 3 km, trees (41%) and water (36%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and water (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
48 m
16 km
113 m
80 km
434 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Kristinehamn 35 km · Karlskoga 58 km · Mariestad 77 km · Örebro 97 km · Kumla 97 km · Lidköping 99 km · Skövde 112 km · Halden 124 km

Sweden travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 87% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$63,133
2025
Happiness
7.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 609
Religion
Church of Sweden 54%none or unspecified 37%other 9%

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 Karlstad (59.3793°, 13.5036°, elevation 58 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).