Isle of Lewis weather in January

In January, Isle of Lewis sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 100 mm of precipitation across 16.2 wet days and about 6.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-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 8% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 12 min at the start of January to 7 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Isle of Lewis's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Isle of Lewis's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
100 mm
16.2 wet days
Daylight
6 h 48 min
9:11 AM – 3:59 PM
Cloud cover
77%
7th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.0
out of 10

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 Isle of Lewis 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)
173
274
374
484
584
684
784
884
984
1084
1184
1284
1384
1484
1584
1684
1784
1884
1984
2084
2184
2284
2384
2484
2584
2684
2784
2884
2984
3084
3184

How January really feels in Isle of Lewis

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.

Isle of Lewis 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 / 10016.21.16.91.0
Feb / 8014.828.91.1
Mar / 8416.81.311.41.4
Apr11° / 7416.10.4142.2
May13° / 7616.8016.43.0
Jun15° / 10°7916.6017.83.6
Jul17° / 11°8818.6017.24.1
Aug17° / 11°9417.9015.14.2
Sep15° / 10°8915.8012.53.7
Oct12° / 10317.609.92.7
Nov10° / 9116.30.27.51.7
Dec / 9015.716.21.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% 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 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32476
42377
52278
62278
72278
82278
92278
102278
112278
122278
132179
142179
152179
162080
172080
182179
192179
202179
212179
222179
232179
242278
252278
262377
272377
282377
292377
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Isle of Lewis gets around 100 mm of rain and snow over 16.2 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 53% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1494
2494
3504
4504
5514
6514
7514
8524
9524
10524
11524
12534
13534
14534
15544
16544
17544
18544
19544
20543
21543
22543
23533
24534
25544
26544
27544
28545
29545
30545
31546

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 12 min at the start of January to 7 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 9:23 AM to 8:46 AM, and sunset from 3:35 PM to 4:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.29:233:35
26.29:223:36
36.39:223:37
46.39:223:39
56.39:213:40
66.49:203:41
76.49:203:43
86.49:193:45
96.59:183:46
106.59:173:48
116.69:163:50
126.69:153:51
136.69:143:53
146.79:133:55
156.79:123:57
166.89:113:59
176.99:104:01
186.99:084:03
197.09:074:05
207.09:054:07
217.19:044:09
227.19:024:11
237.29:014:13
247.38:594:16
257.38:574:18
267.48:564:20
277.58:544:22
287.58:524:25
297.68:504:27
307.78:484:29
317.88:464:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.27 kWh/m² to a high of 5.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.3Dim
20.3Dim
30.3Dim
40.3Dim
50.3Dim
60.3Dim
70.3Dim
80.3Dim
90.3Dim
100.3Dim
110.3Dim
120.3Dim
130.4Dim
140.4Dim
150.4Dim
160.4Dim
170.4Dim
180.4Dim
190.4Dim
200.4Dim
210.5Dim
220.5Dim
230.5Dim
240.5Dim
250.5Dim
260.5Dim
270.6Dim
280.6Dim
290.6Dim
300.6Dim
310.6Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Isle of Lewis?

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

1.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Isle of Lewis.

What to pack for Isle of Lewis in January

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

In January, Isle of Lewis sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Isle of Lewis 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 13°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

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

6°8°10°12°14°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Isle of Lewis 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 Isle of Lewis peaks around July 12 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateModerateLowJul 12UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May4Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep2Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Isle of Lewis?

Isle of Lewis sits at 58.2°N, 6.4°W, 14 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Inverness, 152 km away.

InvernessFort WilliamElginPerthGreenockVale of LevenDumbartonStirling

Topography around Isle of Lewis

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Isle of Lewis has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 101 m around an average of 30 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 287 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,019 m.

The land around Isle of Lewis is covered by grassland (68%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) and water (37%) within 16 km, and water (77%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
101 m
16 km
287 m
80 km
1,019 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Inverness 152 km · Fort William 174 km · Elgin 192 km · Perth 270 km · Greenock 271 km · Vale of Leven 273 km · Dumbarton 276 km · Stirling 276 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 Isle of Lewis (58.219°, -6.388°, elevation 14 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).