Van weather in January

In January, Van sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 33 mm of precipitation across 7.3 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -1°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Van's 11th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Van's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
12th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
1st coldest
Precipitation
33 mm
7.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
6:28 AM – 4:03 PM
Cloud cover
54%
11th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Van is city in Turkey.

Air quality
Moderate
PM10 41 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
271/km²
people per km²

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 -1°C through the month.

A typical January day in Van reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -5°C and 3°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-20°-15°-10°-5°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
10-9
20-9
30-9
40-9
50-9
60-10
70-10
80-10
9-1-10
10-1-10
11-1-10
12-1-10
13-1-10
14-1-10
15-1-10
16-1-11
17-1-11
18-1-11
19-1-11
20-1-11
21-1-11
22-1-11
23-1-11
24-1-11
25-1-11
26-1-11
27-1-11
28-1-11
29-1-11
30-1-11
31-1-11

How January really feels in Van

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.

Van weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-1° / -10°337.37.99.60.0
Feb / -9°348.18.410.50.0
Mar / -4°56119.111.70.3
Apr11° / 6113.24132.5
May16° / 5814.10.514.14.9
Jun22° / 11°277.1014.67.8
Jul27° / 14°123.3014.48.3
Aug27° / 14°72013.58.5
Sep23° / 10°122.7012.38.6
Oct16° / 327.50.5115.5
Nov / -1°346.93.89.91.5
Dec / -7°357.57.29.40.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55842
65842
75941
85941
95941
105941
115941
125941
135941
145941
155941
165941
175842
185743
195743
205644
215545
225545
235446
245446
255446
265347
275347
285347
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Van gets around 33 mm of rain and snow over 7.3 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 23% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12324
22424
32424
42324
52324
62324
72324
82224
92223
102223
112123
122123
132122
142022
152022
162022
172022
182022
192123
202124
212225
222325
232426
242527
252528
262629
272629
282730
292730
302831
312831

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 7 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
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 3:50 PM to 4:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.46:293:50
29.46:293:51
39.46:293:52
49.46:293:53
59.46:293:53
69.46:293:54
79.46:293:55
89.46:293:56
99.56:293:57
109.56:293:58
119.56:293:59
129.56:294:00
139.56:294:01
149.56:294:02
159.66:284:02
169.66:284:03
179.66:284:04
189.66:274:06
199.76:274:07
209.76:274:08
219.76:264:09
229.76:264:10
239.86:254:11
249.86:254:12
259.86:244:13
269.86:234:14
279.96:234:15
289.96:224:16
299.96:224:17
3010.06:214:18
3110.06:204:20

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 7.73 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.86 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.8Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Van?

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
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Van.

What to pack for Van in January

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

In January, Van sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Van in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Van peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 22UV 11Jan 1UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Van in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Van is worst in May — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1224 µg/m³Dec 2310 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Van?

Van sits at 38.5°N, 43.4°E, 1,708 m above sea level, in Turkey. The nearest listed city is Erciş, 59 km away.

PatnosTatvanMalazgirtHakkâri

Topography around Van

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Van has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 322 m around an average of 1,718 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,538 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,845 m.

The land around Van is covered by artificial surfaces (67%) within 3 km, grassland (56%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
322 m
16 km
1,538 m
80 km
2,845 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Erciş 59 km · Adilcevaz 66 km · Ahlat 83 km · Hizan 89 km · Patnos 93 km · Tatvan 96 km · Malazgirt 103 km · Hakkâri 107 km

Turkey travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$18,599
2025
Happiness
5.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
3.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
6.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 488
Religion
Muslim 100%other 0%

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 Van (38.4946°, 43.3832°, elevation 1,708 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).