Barnstaple weather in January

In January, Barnstaple sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 79 mm of precipitation across 14.5 wet days and about 8.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 8°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 7 h 42 min at the start of January to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Barnstaple's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Barnstaple's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
79 mm
14.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 06 min
8:21 AM – 4:30 PM
Cloud cover
75%
11th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Barnstaple is town and civil parish in Devon, England.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,638/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 8°C through the month.

A typical January day in Barnstaple reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
184
284
384
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How January really feels in Barnstaple

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.

Barnstaple weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7914.50.88.21.1
Feb / 6511.80.79.61.2
Mar / 6312.80.511.51.8
Apr12° / 6311.90.113.52.9
May14° / 6312.2015.33.9
Jun17° / 11°6511.9016.25.0
Jul19° / 13°6712.6015.95.6
Aug19° / 13°7112.8014.45.5
Sep17° / 11°6111.1012.45.0
Oct14° / 8414.2010.43.5
Nov11° / 8815.208.72.1
Dec / 9514.60.37.81.3

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32476
42476
52476
62476
72476
82674
92674
102773
112773
122773
132773
142773
152872
162872
172872
182872
192872
202773
212773
222773
232575
242575
252575
262575
272575
282674
292575
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Barnstaple gets around 79 mm of rain and snow over 14.5 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 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1482
2482
3492
4492
5492
6493
7503
8503
9503
10503
11503
12503
13503
14503
15493
16492
17482
18482
19472
20462
21452
22452
23442
24432
25422
26422
27412
28413
29413
30413
31413

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2020breezy
2120breezy
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 42 min at the start of January to 8 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:27 AM to 8:05 AM, and sunset from 4:12 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.78:274:12
27.88:274:13
37.88:274:14
47.88:274:15
57.88:264:16
67.88:264:17
77.98:264:18
87.98:264:19
97.98:254:21
108.08:254:22
118.08:244:23
128.08:244:24
138.08:234:26
148.18:224:27
158.18:224:29
168.18:214:30
178.28:204:31
188.28:194:33
198.38:194:34
208.38:184:36
218.38:174:38
228.48:164:39
238.48:154:41
248.58:144:42
258.58:134:44
268.68:114:46
278.68:104:47
288.78:094:49
298.78:084:51
308.88:064:52
318.88:054:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.67 kWh/m² to a high of 5.43 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.84 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.7Dim
60.7Dim
70.7Dim
80.7Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
150.8Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.9Dim
190.9Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Barnstaple?

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

1.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Barnstaple.

What to pack for Barnstaple in January

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

In January, Barnstaple sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Barnstaple in January

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Barnstaple 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 Barnstaple peaks around August 13 at about 7 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. 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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Barnstaple?

Barnstaple sits at 51.1°N, 4.1°W, 12 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bideford, 13 km away.

Topography around Barnstaple

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Barnstaple has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 156 m around an average of 44 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 475 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 652 m.

The land around Barnstaple is covered by grassland (47%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) within 16 km, and water (42%) and grassland (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
156 m
16 km
475 m
80 km
652 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Bideford 13 km · Tiverton 44 km · Porthcawl 51 km · Exeter 54 km · Heavitree 56 km · Bridgend 58 km · Coity 60 km · Swansea 61 km

United Kingdom travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$57,602
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
3.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 2%

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 Barnstaple (51.0802°, -4.0581°, elevation 12 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).