Kendal weather in January

In January, Kendal sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 135 mm of precipitation across 16.8 wet days and about 7.7 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 10% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 06 min at the start of January to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kendal's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kendal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
135 mm
16.8 wet days
Daylight
7 h 36 min
8:32 AM – 4:09 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Kendal is town and civil parish in South Lakeland, Cumbria, 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 6°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kendal reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

-5°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
162
262
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 Kendal

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.

Kendal 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 / 13516.837.70.3
Feb / 11014.42.89.30.4
Mar / 9414211.51.2
Apr11° / 7713.20.713.72.4
May14° / 8513.8015.73.5
Jun16° / 10°9514.9016.84.3
Jul18° / 12°10316.5016.44.8
Aug18° / 12°11817.2014.74.6
Sep15° / 10°10414.5012.54.0
Oct12° / 13215.90.110.22.7
Nov / 13116.50.48.21.3
Dec / 14516.427.20.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% 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 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12377
22476
32377
42278
52377
62377
72377
82377
92377
102377
112377
122476
132476
142476
152377
162377
172377
182377
192377
202377
212278
222278
232278
242278
252476
262377
272377
282377
292377
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kendal gets around 135 mm of rain and snow over 16.8 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 54% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1548
2549
3559
4569
5569
6579
7589
8589
9589
10599
11599
125810
135810
145810
155710
165610
175610
185510
195410
205310
215210
225210
235110
245010
255010
265010
275010
28509
29509
30509
31509

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light 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 7 h 06 min at the start of January to 8 h 24 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 8:40 AM to 8:13 AM, and sunset from 3:48 PM to 4:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.18:403:48
27.28:403:49
37.28:403:51
47.28:393:52
57.28:393:53
67.38:393:54
77.38:383:55
87.38:383:57
97.38:373:58
107.48:373:59
117.48:364:01
127.58:354:02
137.58:344:04
147.58:344:05
157.68:334:07
167.68:324:09
177.78:314:10
187.78:304:12
197.78:294:14
207.88:284:15
217.88:274:17
227.98:254:19
237.98:244:21
248.08:234:23
258.08:224:25
268.18:204:26
278.28:194:28
288.28:174:30
298.38:164:32
308.38:144:34
318.48:134:36

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.44 kWh/m² to a high of 4.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.58 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.5Dim
70.5Dim
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.7Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.8Dim
280.8Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kendal?

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

0.3
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 Kendal.

What to pack for Kendal in January

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

In January, Kendal sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Kendal 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 17°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°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Kendal 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 Kendal peaks around August 10 at about 6 (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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 10UV 6Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kendal?

Kendal sits at 54.3°N, 2.7°W, 55 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Windermere, 12 km away.

Topography around Kendal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kendal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 m around an average of 104 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 724 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 962 m.

The land around Kendal is covered by grassland (63%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, grassland (77%) within 16 km, and grassland (66%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
217 m
16 km
724 m
80 km
962 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Windermere 12 km · Morecambe 30 km · Lancaster 31 km · Heysham 33 km · Penrith 38 km · Barrow in Furness 39 km · Fleetwood 48 km · Thornton-Cleveleys 53 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 Kendal (54.3268°, -2.7476°, 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).