Dundee weather in January

In January, Dundee sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 78 mm of precipitation across 13.7 wet days and about 7.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 6°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 42 min at the start of January to 8 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Dundee's 5th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dundee's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
78 mm
13.7 wet days
Daylight
7 h 12 min
8:45 AM – 3:57 PM
Cloud cover
71%
5th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Dundee is city in Scotland, UK.

Founded
1050

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 6°C through the month.

A typical January day in Dundee reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
161
261
362
462
562
662
762
862
962
1062
1162
1262
1362
1462
1562
1662
1762
1862
1962
2062
2162
2262
2362
2462
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3062
3162

How January really feels in Dundee

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.

Dundee weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7813.73.57.30.5
Feb / 5910.72.89.10.8
Mar / 6112.3211.41.6
Apr11° / 5711.60.713.92.6
May14° / 6413.1016.13.7
Jun16° / 10°6813.1017.34.6
Jul18° / 11°7614016.85.2
Aug18° / 11°7613.4014.95.3
Sep16° / 6110.8012.54.6
Oct12° / 8912.9010.13.1
Nov / 7813.10.67.91.6
Dec / 7412.42.16.70.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% 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 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23070
33070
43070
53169
63169
73169
83169
93169
103169
113169
123169
133169
143169
153169
163070
173070
183070
193070
203070
213070
223070
233070
243169
253169
263169
273169
283169
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Dundee gets around 78 mm of rain and snow over 13.7 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 44% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14311
24311
34411
44412
54512
64612
74612
84613
94712
104712
114712
124612
134611
144611
154611
164611
174611
184510
194510
204410
214310
224210
234210
244110
254010
264010
273910
283911
293911
303911
313911

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 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 42 min at the start of January to 8 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:55 AM to 8:23 AM, and sunset from 3:35 PM to 4:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.78:553:35
26.78:553:36
36.78:553:37
46.78:543:38
56.88:543:40
66.88:533:41
76.88:533:42
86.98:523:44
96.98:523:45
106.98:513:47
117.08:503:48
127.08:493:50
137.18:483:52
147.18:473:53
157.18:463:55
167.28:453:57
177.28:443:59
187.38:434:01
197.38:424:03
207.48:414:04
217.58:394:06
227.58:384:08
237.68:364:10
247.68:354:12
257.78:334:14
267.78:324:16
277.88:304:19
287.98:294:21
297.98:274:23
308.08:254:25
318.18:234:27

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.02 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 0.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.4Dim
20.4Dim
30.4Dim
40.4Dim
50.4Dim
60.4Dim
70.4Dim
80.4Dim
90.4Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Dundee?

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

0.5
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 Dundee.

What to pack for Dundee in January

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

In January, Dundee sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Dundee 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 24 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Dundee in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 0. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dundee peaks around June 21 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 5 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 21UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dundee?

Dundee sits at 56.5°N, 3.0°W, 77 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Saint Andrews, 18 km away.

Topography around Dundee

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dundee has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m around an average of 52 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 450 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,320 m.

The land around Dundee is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and water (25%) within 3 km, cropland (36%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and water (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
165 m
16 km
450 m
80 km
1,320 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Saint Andrews 18 km · Arbroath 26 km · Perth 29 km · Glenrothes 33 km · Kirkcaldy 41 km · Dunfermline 53 km · Musselburgh 59 km · Edinburgh 59 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 Dundee (56.4691°, -2.9749°, elevation 77 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).