Östersund weather in January

In January, Östersund sees average daytime highs of -4°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 39 mm of precipitation across 10 wet days and about 5.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -4°C through the month. 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 4 h 18 min at the start of January to 6 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Östersund's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Östersund's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-4°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
39 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
5 h 18 min
9:33 AM – 2:49 PM
Cloud cover
77%
11th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Östersund is urban area in Östersund Municipality, Sweden.

Founded
1991

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 -4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Östersund reaches about -4°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 -12°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

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

How January really feels in Östersund

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.

Östersund 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-4° / -9°391010.65.30.0
Feb-3° / -9°277.78.38.10.0
Mar / -6°318.37.711.20.0
Apr / -2°358.35.114.50.7
May12° / 5410.91.617.62.9
Jun16° / 7712.20.119.64.5
Jul18° / 10°9613.5018.85.4
Aug17° / 8112.4015.95.0
Sep12° / 6110.80.112.73.1
Oct / 5910.73.59.40.5
Nov / -4°4510.386.30.0
Dec-2° / -7°4010.19.64.40.0

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 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42575
52476
62476
72476
82575
92575
102476
112476
122476
132476
142476
152476
162476
172476
182476
192377
202377
212377
222377
232278
242278
252278
262377
272377
282377
292278
302278
312278

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Östersund gets around 39 mm of rain and snow over 10 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 31% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13537
23537
33537
43537
53537
63537
73537
83436
93436
103335
113334
123234
133233
143132
153131
163031
173030
182930
192930
202930
212930
222930
232931
242931
252931
262932
272932
282932
292932
303032
313033

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 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
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 4 h 18 min at the start of January to 6 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 138 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:55 AM to 8:56 AM, and sunset from 2:15 PM to 3:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
14.39:552:15
24.49:542:16
34.49:532:18
44.59:522:20
54.59:512:22
64.69:502:24
74.69:482:26
84.79:472:29
94.89:452:31
104.89:442:33
114.99:422:36
125.09:402:38
135.09:382:41
145.19:372:43
155.29:352:46
165.39:332:49
175.49:312:52
185.49:282:54
195.59:262:57
205.69:243:00
215.79:223:03
225.89:193:06
235.99:173:09
246.09:143:12
256.19:123:15
266.19:093:18
276.29:073:21
286.39:043:24
296.49:013:27
306.58:593:31
316.68:563:34

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.07 kWh/m² to a high of 5.14 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.18 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.1Dim
20.1Dim
30.1Dim
40.1Dim
50.1Dim
60.1Dim
70.1Dim
80.1Dim
90.1Dim
100.1Dim
110.1Dim
120.1Dim
130.1Dim
140.2Dim
150.2Dim
160.2Dim
170.2Dim
180.2Dim
190.2Dim
200.2Dim
210.2Dim
220.2Dim
230.3Dim
240.3Dim
250.3Dim
260.3Dim
270.3Dim
280.3Dim
290.3Dim
300.4Dim
310.4Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Östersund?

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
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Östersund.

What to pack for Östersund in January

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

In January, Östersund sees daytime highs around -4°C and nights near -9°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 Östersund 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 Östersund peaks around June 21 at about 4 (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 21UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Östersund?

Östersund sits at 63.2°N, 14.6°E, 328 m above sea level, in Sweden. The nearest listed city is Åre, 82 km away.

SundsvallLevangerHärnösandStjørdalshalsenÖrnsköldsvikHudiksvallTrondheim

Topography around Östersund

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Östersund has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 m around an average of 329 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 227 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,292 m.

The land around Östersund is covered by trees (36%), water (31%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, trees (58%) and water (20%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) within 80 km.

3 km
174 m
16 km
227 m
80 km
1,292 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Åre 82 km · Sundsvall 162 km · Levanger 177 km · Härnösand 178 km · Stjørdalshalsen 188 km · Örnsköldsvik 205 km · Hudiksvall 205 km · Trondheim 214 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 Östersund (63.1792°, 14.6357°, elevation 328 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).