Edinburgh weather in January

In January, Edinburgh sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 74 mm of precipitation across 14 wet days and about 7.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-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 6 h 48 min at the start of January to 8 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Edinburgh's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Edinburgh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
74 mm
14 wet days
Daylight
7 h 18 min
8:43 AM – 4:01 PM
Cloud cover
74%
5th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Edinburgh is capital city of Scotland, UK.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,988/km²
people per km²
Founded
~601 CE

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 Edinburgh 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 10°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)
162
262
362
462
562
663
773
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2372
2472
2572
2672
2772
2872
2972
3072
3172

How January really feels in Edinburgh

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.

Edinburgh 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 / 74142.47.40.6
Feb / 6111.82.59.20.8
Mar / 5912.51.711.41.5
Apr11° / 5411.60.713.82.5
May14° / 5612.60.1163.6
Jun16° / 10°6413.1017.24.5
Jul18° / 12°7113.6016.75.2
Aug18° / 12°7513.2014.85.2
Sep16° / 10°5911.1012.54.5
Oct12° / 8013010.13.1
Nov / 7113.60.581.6
Dec / 7613.41.96.80.7

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22674
32773
42773
52773
62872
72872
82872
92773
102872
112872
122872
132872
142872
152872
162872
172872
182773
192773
202872
212773
222773
232773
242773
252773
262872
272872
282872
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Edinburgh gets around 74 mm of rain and snow over 14 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 45% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1459
2459
3469
4469
5479
6479
7489
8489
9488
10488
11488
12488
13488
14477
15477
16477
17467
18467
19457
20447
21447
22437
23437
24427
25427
26417
27417
28417
29417
30418
31418

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 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light 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 6 h 48 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 78 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:52 AM to 8:22 AM, and sunset from 3:39 PM to 4:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.88:523:39
26.88:523:41
36.88:523:42
46.98:523:43
56.98:513:44
66.98:513:45
76.98:503:47
87.08:503:48
97.08:493:50
107.08:483:51
117.18:483:53
127.18:473:54
137.28:463:56
147.28:453:58
157.38:443:59
167.38:434:01
177.38:424:03
187.48:414:05
197.48:404:07
207.58:384:08
217.68:374:10
227.68:364:12
237.78:344:14
247.78:334:16
257.88:324:18
267.88:304:20
277.98:284:22
288.08:274:24
298.08:254:26
308.18:244:28
318.18:224:30

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 0.38 kWh/m² to a high of 4.74 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
90.5Dim
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 Edinburgh?

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

0.6
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 Edinburgh.

What to pack for Edinburgh in January

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

In January, Edinburgh sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Edinburgh 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 20 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
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh peaks around June 20 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 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 20UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Edinburgh?

Edinburgh sits at 56.0°N, 3.2°W, 66 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Musselburgh, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Edinburgh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Edinburgh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m around an average of 54 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 582 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 978 m.

The land around Edinburgh is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, water (33%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) within 80 km.

3 km
229 m
16 km
582 m
80 km
978 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Musselburgh 9.0 km · Bonnyrigg 10 km · Penicuik 14 km · Broxburn 17 km · Kirkcaldy 18 km · Dunfermline 21 km · Livingston 21 km · Glenrothes 27 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 Edinburgh (55.9521°, -3.1965°, elevation 66 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).