Luleå weather in January

In January, Luleå sees average daytime highs of -5°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 41 mm of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 4.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about -4°C in the first days to -6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 2 h 42 min at the start of January to 5 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Luleå's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Luleå's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-5°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
41 mm
8.9 wet days
Daylight
4 h 06 min
9:37 AM – 1:44 PM
Cloud cover
79%
11th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Luleå is urban area in Luleå Municipality, Sweden.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 14 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1650

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 -4°C in the first days to -6°C by the end.

A typical January day in Luleå reaches about -5°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 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C warmer than February.

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

How January really feels in Luleå

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.

Luleå weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-5° / -9°418.99.84.20.0
Feb-6° / -10°307.48.37.60.0
Mar-2° / -7°307.17.811.10.0
Apr / -3°306.44.714.80.0
May / 387.60.718.41.2
Jun13° / 538.3021.33.5
Jul17° / 13°609.90205.5
Aug16° / 13°6210.1016.45.1
Sep12° / 599.3012.73.1
Oct / 569.61.89.10.6
Nov / -2°5611.46.85.50.0
Dec-2° / -6°5111.39.82.70.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42278
52278
62179
72179
82179
92278
102278
112278
122179
132080
142080
152080
162080
172080
182080
192080
201981
212080
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
272179
282278
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Luleå gets around 41 mm of rain and snow over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13233
23334
33334
43334
53334
63335
73335
83335
93335
103335
113335
123235
133234
143134
153133
163033
172932
182931
192831
202730
212729
222629
232629
242528
252528
262528
272529
282529
292629
302630
312730

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 20 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light 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 2 h 42 min at the start of January to 5 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 192 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 10:14 AM to 8:49 AM, and sunset from 12:55 PM to 2:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
12.710:1412:55
22.710:1312:57
32.810:111:00
42.910:091:03
53.010:071:06
63.110:041:09
73.210:021:12
83.310:001:16
93.49:571:19
103.59:541:22
113.69:521:26
123.79:491:29
133.89:461:33
143.99:431:37
154.09:401:40
164.19:371:44
174.29:341:48
184.39:311:51
194.49:281:55
204.69:251:59
214.79:222:03
224.89:192:06
234.99:162:10
245.09:122:14
255.19:092:18
265.39:062:22
275.49:022:25
285.58:592:29
295.68:562:33
305.78:522:37
315.98:492:41

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.02 kWh/m² to a high of 5.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.0Dim
20.0Dim
30.0Dim
40.0Dim
50.0Dim
60.0Dim
70.0Dim
80.0Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.1Dim
140.1Dim
150.1Dim
160.1Dim
170.1Dim
180.1Dim
190.1Dim
200.1Dim
210.1Dim
220.1Dim
230.1Dim
240.2Dim
250.2Dim
260.2Dim
270.2Dim
280.2Dim
290.2Dim
300.3Dim
310.3Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Luleå?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Luleå.

What to pack for Luleå in January

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

In January, Luleå sees daytime highs around -5°C and nights near -9°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Luleå 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in February near -0°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
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr1Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep12Bracing
Oct8Bracing
Nov4Bracing
Dec2Bracing

UV index in Luleå 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 Luleå peaks around July 14 at about 4 (moderate) — 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 14UV 4Dec 17UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Luleå?

Luleå sits at 65.6°N, 22.2°E, 17 m above sea level, in Sweden. The nearest listed city is Boden, 34 km away.

TornioSkellefteåKemiRaaheHaukipudasOulu

Topography around Luleå

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Luleå has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 140 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 426 m.

The land around Luleå is covered by water (39%), trees (34%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and water (40%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
69 m
16 km
140 m
80 km
426 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Boden 34 km · Piteå 43 km · Tornio 96 km · Skellefteå 108 km · Kemi 112 km · Raahe 148 km · Haukipudas 155 km · Oulu 167 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 Luleå (65.5841°, 22.1547°, elevation 17 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).