Chelmsford weather in January

In January, Chelmsford sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 50 mm of precipitation across 10.7 wet days and about 8.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 7°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 36 min at the start of January to 8 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Chelmsford's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chelmsford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
50 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
8 hours
8:06 AM – 4:09 PM
Cloud cover
73%
11th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.9
out of 10

Chelmsford is city in Essex, United Kingdom.

Density
4,339/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 7°C through the month.

A typical January day in Chelmsford reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°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)
173
273
373
473
573
673
773
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How January really feels in Chelmsford

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.

Chelmsford weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5010.70.88.10.9
Feb / 41919.61.1
Mar10° / 39100.711.52.2
Apr13° / 4610.80.113.63.5
May16° / 519.8015.44.9
Jun19° / 12°539.9016.35.9
Jul21° / 14°5310.90166.3
Aug21° / 14°599.9014.46.4
Sep18° / 11°468.9012.45.9
Oct15° / 5510.5010.44.2
Nov10° / 5610.40.18.62.3
Dec / 5410.50.87.61.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33070
43070
53070
63070
73070
83169
93169
103169
113169
123070
133070
143070
152971
162971
172971
182971
192971
202971
212872
222872
232773
242773
252773
262872
272872
282773
292773
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Chelmsford gets around 50 mm of rain and snow over 10.7 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 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1362
2362
3362
4362
5362
6372
7373
8363
9363
10363
11363
12363
13353
14353
15353
16343
17343
18342
19332
20332
21332
22332
23323
24323
25323
26323
27313
28313
29313
30313
31314

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 36 min at the start of January to 8 h 42 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 8:12 AM to 7:49 AM, and sunset from 3:50 PM to 4:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.68:123:50
27.78:123:51
37.78:123:52
47.78:123:53
57.78:123:54
67.78:113:56
77.88:113:57
87.88:113:58
97.88:103:59
107.88:104:01
117.98:094:02
127.98:094:03
137.98:084:05
148.08:074:06
158.08:074:07
168.08:064:09
178.18:054:10
188.18:044:12
198.28:034:13
208.28:024:15
218.38:014:17
228.38:004:18
238.37:594:20
248.47:584:22
258.47:574:23
268.57:564:25
278.57:554:27
288.67:534:28
298.67:524:30
308.77:514:32
318.77:494:34

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.48 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.8 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
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
150.8Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.8Dim
190.8Dim
200.9Dim
210.9Dim
220.9Dim
230.9Dim
240.9Dim
250.9Dim
261.0Dim
271.0Dim
281.0Dim
291.0Dim
301.1Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Chelmsford?

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

0.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chelmsford.

What to pack for Chelmsford in January

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

In January, Chelmsford sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Chelmsford in January

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 47 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Chelmsford 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 Chelmsford peaks around August 10 at about 6 (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 10UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Chelmsford?

Chelmsford sits at 51.7°N, 0.5°E, 33 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Billericay, 12 km away.

Topography around Chelmsford

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chelmsford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 290 m.

The land around Chelmsford is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), trees (28%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, cropland (50%), grassland (22%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (36%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
53 m
16 km
117 m
80 km
290 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Billericay 12 km · Witham 14 km · Maldon 14 km · Wickford 14 km · Braintree 17 km · Brentwood 17 km · Basildon 19 km · Rayleigh 19 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 Chelmsford (51.7358°, 0.4696°, elevation 33 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).