Bideford weather in January

In January, Bideford sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 88 mm of precipitation across 15.6 wet days and about 8.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-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 14% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 48 min at the start of January to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bideford's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bideford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
88 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:21 AM – 4:31 PM
Cloud cover
75%
11th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Bideford is town in Devon, England, UK.

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 Bideford reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
185
285
385
485
585
685
785
885
985
1085
1185
1285
1385
1485
1585
1685
1785
1885
1985
2085
2185
2285
2385
2484
2584
2684
2784
2884
2984
3084
3184

How January really feels in Bideford

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 6 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
6
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Bideford weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8815.60.48.21.2
Feb / 7012.30.59.61.3
Mar10° / 6512.70.311.51.9
Apr12° / 6111.8013.52.8
May14° / 6011.7015.33.9
Jun16° / 12°6311.8016.24.8
Jul18° / 14°6612.9015.85.5
Aug18° / 14°7313.4014.35.4
Sep17° / 12°6311.7012.45.0
Oct14° / 10°9315.1010.43.5
Nov11° / 10116.108.72.2
Dec / 10615.60.27.81.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% 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 (%)
12575
22575
32575
42575
52575
62674
72674
82773
92773
102773
112773
122773
132872
142872
152872
162872
172971
182872
192872
202674
212674
222674
232674
242674
252674
262575
272476
282575
292575
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bideford gets around 88 mm of rain and snow over 15.6 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 50% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1511
2511
3511
4511
5521
6521
7521
8531
9531
10531
11531
12531
13531
14531
15531
16521
17521
18511
19511
20501
21501
22491
23481
24471
25471
26461
27451
28452
29452
30452
31452

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 23 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 48 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 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:27 AM to 8:05 AM, and sunset from 4:13 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.88:274:13
27.88:274:14
37.88:274:15
47.88:274:16
57.88:274:17
67.98:264:18
77.98:264:19
87.98:264:20
97.98:254:21
108.08:254:23
118.08:244:24
128.08:244:25
138.18:234:27
148.18:234:28
158.18:224:29
168.28:214:31
178.28:214:32
188.28:204:34
198.38:194:35
208.38:184:37
218.48:174:38
228.48:164:40
238.48:154:42
248.58:144:43
258.58:134:45
268.68:124:46
278.68:114:48
288.78:094:50
298.78:084:51
308.88:074:53
318.88:054:55

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 5.53 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
90.7Dim
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
231.0Dim
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 Bideford?

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

1.2
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 Bideford.

What to pack for Bideford in January

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

In January, Bideford sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Bideford 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 17 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 Bideford 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 Bideford 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 Bideford?

Bideford sits at 51.0°N, 4.2°W, 42 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Barnstaple, 13 km away.

SaltashSwansea

Topography around Bideford

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bideford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 127 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 227 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 649 m.

The land around Bideford is covered by grassland (44%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, grassland (46%) and water (26%) within 16 km, and water (45%) and grassland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
127 m
16 km
227 m
80 km
649 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Barnstaple 13 km · Tiverton 52 km · Exeter 58 km · Heavitree 60 km · Porthcawl 62 km · Saltash 68 km · Newton Abbot 69 km · Swansea 70 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 Bideford (51.0168°, -4.2083°, elevation 42 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).