Dorchester weather in January

In January, Dorchester sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 70 mm of precipitation across 12 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-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 16% 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 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Dorchester's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dorchester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
70 mm
12 wet days
Daylight
8 h 12 min
8:13 AM – 4:25 PM
Cloud cover
73%
12th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Dorchester is town in Dorset, England, UK.

Density
3,431/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 Dorchester 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 4°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
1983
2083
2183
2283
2383
2483
2583
2683
2783
2883
2983
3083
3183

How January really feels in Dorchester

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.

Dorchester weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 70120.38.31.2
Feb / 5610.50.69.71.3
Mar10° / 5310.10.411.52.3
Apr13° / 6311.50.113.53.3
May16° / 6311.1015.24.6
Jun18° / 11°6010.8016.25.7
Jul20° / 13°5710.8015.86.2
Aug20° / 13°7110.7014.36.1
Sep18° / 11°569.3012.45.7
Oct14° / 8112.3010.43.9
Nov11° / 7712.208.72.4
Dec / 7611.70.27.81.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53070
63070
73070
83070
93169
103169
113169
123169
133169
143268
153268
163268
173268
183070
193070
203070
212971
222971
232971
242773
252674
262674
272674
282674
292674
302575
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Dorchester gets around 70 mm of rain and snow over 12 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 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1401
2401
3401
4411
5411
6411
7421
8421
9421
10421
11431
12421
13421
14421
15411
16411
17401
18401
19391
20381
21371
22361
23361
24351
25341
26341
27341
28342
29342
30342
31342

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 19 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
119light 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
1519light breeze
1619light 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 48 min at the start of January to 8 h 54 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 8:19 AM to 7:57 AM, and sunset from 4:07 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.88:194:07
27.88:194:08
37.88:184:09
47.98:184:10
57.98:184:11
67.98:184:12
77.98:184:13
88.08:174:15
98.08:174:16
108.08:164:17
118.08:164:18
128.18:154:20
138.18:154:21
148.18:144:22
158.28:144:24
168.28:134:25
178.28:124:27
188.38:114:28
198.38:114:30
208.48:104:31
218.48:094:33
228.48:084:34
238.58:074:36
248.58:064:37
258.68:054:39
268.68:034:41
278.78:024:42
288.78:014:44
298.88:004:45
308.87:594:47
318.97:574:49

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.87 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.7Dim
20.7Dim
30.7Dim
40.7Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
150.9Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
180.9Dim
190.9Dim
200.9Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.0Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.1Dim
311.2Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Dorchester?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dorchester.

What to pack for Dorchester in January

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

In January, Dorchester sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Dorchester in January

The nearest coast averages about 10°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb9Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Dorchester 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 Dorchester peaks around August 13 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 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dorchester?

Dorchester sits at 50.7°N, 2.4°W, 55 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Weymouth, 12 km away.

Topography around Dorchester

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dorchester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 m around an average of 74 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 408 m.

The land around Dorchester is covered by grassland (42%) and cropland (30%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (36%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
75 m
16 km
272 m
80 km
408 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Weymouth 12 km · Yeovil 29 km · Poole 32 km · Wimborne Minster 33 km · Ferndown 39 km · Bournemouth 39 km · Christchurch 46 km · New Milton 54 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 Dorchester (50.7167°, -2.4333°, elevation 55 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).