Interlaken weather in January

In January, Interlaken sees average daytime highs of 0°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 119 mm of precipitation across 13.6 wet days and about 8.8 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 29% 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 Interlaken's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Interlaken's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-7°
1st coldest
Precipitation
119 mm
13.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 42 min
8:16 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
61%
6th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

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

-15°-10°-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-6
20-6
30-6
40-6
50-6
60-6
70-6
80-6
90-6
100-6
110-6
120-6
130-6
140-6
150-6
160-7
170-7
180-7
190-7
200-7
210-7
220-7
230-7
240-7
250-7
260-7
270-7
280-7
290-7
300-7
310-7

How January really feels in Interlaken

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.

Interlaken 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 / -7°11913.613.38.80.0
Feb / -6°10612.211.7100.0
Mar / -3°11414.512.411.60.3
Apr / 12414.89.213.31.6
May13° / 19319.15.414.83.0
Jun17° / 19819.11.415.64.3
Jul19° / 10°21119.20.815.35.0
Aug19° / 10°21018.31145.0
Sep15° / 14514.42.112.44.0
Oct11° / 11612.14.710.62.6
Nov / -2°12213.610.79.20.3
Dec / -5°12514.113.28.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34159
44159
54060
64159
74258
84159
94258
104357
114357
124456
134555
144555
154555
164654
174555
184555
194555
204654
214555
224555
234555
244456
254456
264456
274456
284456
294357
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Interlaken gets around 119 mm of rain and snow over 13.6 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 47% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14744
24744
34744
44744
54643
64643
74542
84442
94341
104341
114240
124240
134240
144241
154241
164241
174242
184242
194242
204343
214343
224343
234343
244344
254344
264343
274343
284343
294342
304242
314242

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 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 8:19 AM to 8:03 AM, and sunset from 4:44 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.48:194:44
28.48:194:45
38.48:194:46
48.58:194:47
58.58:194:48
68.58:194:49
78.58:194:50
88.58:194:51
98.68:184:52
108.68:184:53
118.68:184:54
128.68:174:55
138.78:174:56
148.78:174:58
158.78:164:59
168.78:165:00
178.88:155:01
188.88:145:03
198.88:145:04
208.98:135:05
218.98:125:07
228.98:125:08
239.08:115:09
249.08:105:11
259.18:095:12
269.18:085:14
279.18:075:15
289.28:065:16
299.28:055:18
309.38:045:19
319.38:035:21

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.71 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.5 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.3Dim
51.3Dim
61.3Dim
71.3Dim
81.3Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Interlaken?

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
6th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Interlaken.

What to pack for Interlaken in January

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

In January, Interlaken sees daytime highs around 0°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Interlaken 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 Interlaken peaks around July 15 at about 9 (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 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Interlaken?

Interlaken sits at 46.7°N, 7.9°E, 0 m above sea level, in Switzerland. The nearest listed city is Lauterbrunnen, 11 km away.

ThunSteffisburgBernKönizBurgdorfKriens

Topography around Interlaken

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Interlaken has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,058 m around an average of 749 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,389 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,230 m.

The land around Interlaken is covered by trees (54%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, grassland (43%) and trees (42%) within 16 km, and trees (38%) and grassland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,058 m
16 km
3,389 m
80 km
4,230 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewatermoss and lichen
January weather nearby: Lauterbrunnen 11 km · Grindelwald 15 km · Thun 20 km · Steffisburg 21 km · Bern 43 km · Köniz 44 km · Burgdorf 45 km · Kriens 50 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 Interlaken (46.6839°, 7.8664°, elevation 0 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).