Folkestone weather in January

In January, Folkestone sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 101 mm of precipitation across 15.3 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 17% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 42 min at the start of January to 8 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Folkestone's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Folkestone's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
101 mm
15.3 wet days
Daylight
8 h 06 min
8:00 AM – 4:09 PM
Cloud cover
72%
11th clearest
Wind
29 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Folkestone is town and civil parish in Kent, England.

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 Folkestone 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)
186
286
386
486
586
686
786
886
986
1086
1186
1286
1386
1485
1585
1685
1785
1885
1985
2085
2185
2285
2385
2485
2585
2675
2775
2875
2975
3075
3175

How January really feels in Folkestone

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 2 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
2
wind chill below the day's low

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

Folkestone 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 / 10115.30.78.21.1
Feb / 7012.50.99.61.0
Mar / 5510.80.311.51.5
Apr10° / 489.60.113.52.4
May13° / 11°539.8015.33.6
Jun16° / 13°539.2016.24.8
Jul18° / 15°559.6015.95.9
Aug19° / 16°669.8014.46.1
Sep17° / 15°7011.1012.45.4
Oct15° / 12°11014.6010.43.9
Nov11° / 11516.40.28.72.4
Dec / 11215.40.77.81.5

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 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
33070
43070
52971
62971
72971
83070
93070
103070
113070
123169
133169
143070
153070
163070
173169
183169
193169
202971
212971
222971
232971
242872
252872
262773
272773
282773
292773
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Folkestone gets around 101 mm of rain and snow over 15.3 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 49% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1513
2513
3513
4513
5513
6513
7513
8503
9503
10503
11503
12503
13502
14492
15492
16492
17492
18492
19492
20492
21492
22492
23492
24482
25482
26482
27482
28472
29472
30472
31463

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 27 km/h on the calmest days to 29 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
129windy
229windy
329windy
429windy
529windy
629windy
729windy
829windy
929windy
1029windy
1129windy
1229windy
1329windy
1429windy
1529breezy
1629breezy
1729breezy
1829breezy
1928breezy
2028breezy
2128breezy
2228breezy
2328breezy
2428breezy
2528breezy
2628breezy
2728breezy
2828breezy
2928breezy
3028breezy
3127breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 42 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 66 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:06 AM to 7:44 AM, and sunset from 3:51 PM to 4:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.78:063:51
27.88:063:52
37.88:063:53
47.88:063:54
57.88:063:55
67.88:053:56
77.98:053:57
87.98:053:58
97.98:044:00
108.08:044:01
118.08:034:02
128.08:034:04
138.08:024:05
148.18:024:06
158.18:014:08
168.18:004:09
178.27:594:11
188.27:594:12
198.37:584:14
208.37:574:15
218.37:564:17
228.47:554:18
238.47:544:20
248.57:534:21
258.57:524:23
268.67:504:25
278.67:494:26
288.77:484:28
298.77:474:30
308.87:464:31
318.87:444:33

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.7 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.88 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
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.8Dim
150.8Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
180.9Dim
190.9Dim
200.9Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
241.0Dim
251.0Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.2Dim
311.2Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Folkestone?

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

1.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Folkestone.

What to pack for Folkestone in January

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

In January, Folkestone sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreakera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Folkestone 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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Folkestone 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 Folkestone peaks around June 22 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 22UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Folkestone?

Folkestone sits at 51.1°N, 1.2°E, 46 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Dover, 11 km away.

Topography around Folkestone

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Folkestone has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 196 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 319 m.

The land around Folkestone is covered by water (40%), artificial surfaces (22%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, water (49%) within 16 km, and water (53%) within 80 km.

3 km
177 m
16 km
196 m
80 km
319 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Dover 11 km · Ashford 22 km · Deal 23 km · Canterbury 23 km · Faversham 32 km · Herne Bay 33 km · Whitstable 33 km · Ramsgate 33 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 Folkestone (51.0817°, 1.1673°, elevation 46 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).