Aarau weather in January

In January, Aarau sees average daytime highs of 3°C and overnight lows near -2°C, with 97 mm of precipitation across 13.4 wet days and about 8.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-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 21% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Aarau's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Aarau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-2°
1st coldest
Precipitation
97 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:17 AM – 4:57 PM
Cloud cover
69%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Aarau is capital of Canton Aargau, Switzerland.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.9 µg/m³ · 2020
Density
1,743/km²
people per km²
Founded
1240

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 Aarau reaches about 3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -2°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13-1
23-1
34-1
44-1
54-1
64-1
74-1
84-1
94-1
104-1
114-1
124-1
134-1
144-1
154-1
163-2
173-2
183-2
193-2
203-2
213-2
223-2
233-2
243-2
253-2
263-2
273-2
283-2
293-2
304-2
314-2

How January really feels in Aarau

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.

Aarau 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 / -2°9713.478.70.0
Feb / -1°8010.96.49.90.2
Mar10° / 9714.24.411.61.9
Apr14° / 10014.52.113.33.5
May18° / 14817.3014.94.7
Jun21° / 12°14217.4015.75.4
Jul23° / 14°15217015.35.9
Aug23° / 13°14516.5014.15.9
Sep18° / 10°10813.2012.45.3
Oct13° / 10313.20.310.63.4
Nov / 10013.13.39.10.9
Dec / -1°11614.36.78.30.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33070
43169
53169
63268
73268
83268
93268
103367
113367
123367
133367
143466
153466
163466
173466
183466
193367
203367
213466
223466
233367
243367
253367
263367
273367
283367
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Aarau gets around 97 mm of rain and snow over 13.4 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 43% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14821
24820
34820
44720
54720
64719
74619
84619
94520
104420
114421
124321
134322
144323
154323
164224
174225
184225
194226
204126
214126
224126
234126
244126
254026
264026
274026
283925
293925
303925
313925

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 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 18 min at the start of January to 9 h 12 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 4:41 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.38:214:41
28.38:214:41
38.38:214:42
48.48:214:43
58.48:214:44
68.48:214:45
78.48:214:46
88.48:214:47
98.58:214:48
108.58:204:50
118.58:204:51
128.58:194:52
138.68:194:53
148.68:194:54
158.68:184:56
168.78:174:57
178.78:174:58
188.78:164:59
198.88:165:01
208.88:155:02
218.88:145:03
228.98:135:05
238.98:125:06
248.98:125:08
259.08:115:09
269.08:105:11
279.18:095:12
289.18:085:13
299.18:075:15
309.28:065:16
319.28:045:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1 kWh/m² to a high of 5.61 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.25 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.0Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.1Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.2Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Aarau?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Aarau.

What to pack for Aarau in January

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

In January, Aarau sees daytime highs around 3°C and nights near -2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Aarau 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 Aarau peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Aarau?

Aarau sits at 47.4°N, 8.0°E, 389 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Olten, 12 km away.

Bad SäckingenBadenWettingenDietikonRheinfeldenWaldshut-TiengenZürich (Kreis 9)

Topography around Aarau

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Aarau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 198 m around an average of 416 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 695 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,987 m.

The land around Aarau is covered by trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, trees (50%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (47%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
198 m
16 km
695 m
80 km
2,987 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Olten 12 km · Bad Säckingen 19 km · Baden 22 km · Wettingen 23 km · Dietikon 27 km · Rheinfelden 27 km · Waldshut-Tiengen 29 km · Zürich (Kreis 9) 33 km

Switzerland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / J
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 112% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$114,769
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.6
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 564
Religion
Roman Catholic 34%none 29%Protestant 23%other Christian 6%

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 Aarau (47.3925°, 8.0442°, elevation 389 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).