Biel/Bienne weather in January

In January, Biel/Bienne sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -2°C, with 87 mm of precipitation across 13.3 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 4°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 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Biel/Bienne's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Biel/Bienne's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-2°
1st coldest
Precipitation
87 mm
13.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:20 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
71%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Biel/Bienne is Settlement within the Swiss municipality of the same name.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2020

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 Biel/Bienne reaches about 4°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 1°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-1
24-1
34-1
44-1
54-1
64-1
74-1
84-1
94-1
104-1
114-1
124-1
134-2
144-2
154-2
164-2
174-2
184-2
194-2
204-2
213-2
223-2
233-2
243-2
253-2
263-2
273-2
284-2
294-2
304-2
314-2

How January really feels in Biel/Bienne

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.

Biel/Bienne 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°8713.36.98.70.0
Feb / -2°78126.7100.2
Mar10° / 93144.811.61.9
Apr14° / 10515.32.313.33.4
May18° / 15117.80.214.84.6
Jun21° / 12°14617.5015.65.3
Jul23° / 14°15316.5015.35.9
Aug23° / 13°15715.90145.9
Sep18° / 10°11413.9012.45.3
Oct13° / 10913.60.510.63.5
Nov / 10113.33.59.11.0
Dec / -1°10614.56.68.40.0

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 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22971
32971
42971
52971
62971
73070
83070
93169
103169
113169
123268
133268
143367
153367
163367
173367
183367
193466
203367
213367
223466
233466
243367
253367
263268
273367
283268
293268
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Biel/Bienne gets around 87 mm of rain and snow over 13.3 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 43% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14621
24520
34520
44520
54519
64519
74419
84419
94319
104319
114219
124220
134221
144222
154222
164223
174224
184225
194225
204226
214226
224226
234227
244227
254227
264227
274226
284226
294126
304226
314225

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 8 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
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 24 min at the start of January to 9 h 18 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 8:24 AM to 8:07 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:244:45
28.48:244:46
38.48:244:47
48.48:244:47
58.48:234:48
68.48:234:49
78.58:234:50
88.58:234:52
98.58:234:53
108.58:224:54
118.58:224:55
128.68:224:56
138.68:214:57
148.68:214:58
158.78:205:00
168.78:205:01
178.78:195:02
188.88:185:04
198.88:185:05
208.88:175:06
218.98:165:08
228.98:165:09
238.98:155:10
249.08:145:12
259.08:135:13
269.08:125:15
279.18:115:16
289.18:105:17
299.28:095:19
309.28:085:20
319.38:075:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.02 kWh/m² to a high of 5.63 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.26 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.0Dim
21.1Dim
31.1Dim
41.1Dim
51.1Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.1Dim
101.1Dim
111.2Dim
121.2Dim
131.2Dim
141.2Dim
151.2Dim
161.3Dim
171.3Dim
181.3Dim
191.3Dim
201.3Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Biel/Bienne?

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 Biel/Bienne.

What to pack for Biel/Bienne in January

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

In January, Biel/Bienne sees daytime highs around 4°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 Biel/Bienne 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 Biel/Bienne 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Biel/Bienne?

Biel/Bienne sits at 47.1°N, 7.2°E, 434 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Grenchen, 13 km away.

SolothurnBernKönizNeuchâtelBurgdorfLa Chaux-de-FondsFribourg

Topography around Biel/Bienne

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Biel/Bienne has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 562 m around an average of 541 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,170 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,796 m.

The land around Biel/Bienne is covered by trees (50%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and grassland (26%) within 16 km, and trees (47%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
562 m
16 km
1,170 m
80 km
2,796 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Grenchen 13 km · Solothurn 23 km · Bern 26 km · Köniz 27 km · Neuchâtel 29 km · Burgdorf 30 km · La Chaux-de-Fonds 32 km · Fribourg 38 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 Biel/Bienne (47.1371°, 7.2461°, elevation 434 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).