Kilmarnock weather in January

In January, Kilmarnock sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 150 mm of precipitation across 19.1 wet days and about 7.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-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 11% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 54 min at the start of January to 8 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kilmarnock's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kilmarnock's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
150 mm
19.1 wet days
Daylight
7 h 24 min
8:46 AM – 4:08 PM
Cloud cover
76%
12th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Kilmarnock is town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.

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 Kilmarnock reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 3°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)
173
273
373
473
573
673
773
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2163
2263
2363
2463
2563
2663
2763
2863
2963
3063
3163

How January really feels in Kilmarnock

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.

Kilmarnock 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 / 15019.137.40.5
Feb / 12016.22.89.20.6
Mar / 10615.82.111.41.1
Apr10° / 7914.50.713.82.0
May13° / 77140.215.93.1
Jun15° / 10°8514.5017.13.8
Jul16° / 12°9616.7016.64.2
Aug16° / 12°11217.2014.84.2
Sep15° / 10°10515.9012.53.6
Oct12° / 143180.110.12.5
Nov / 14818.60.481.4
Dec / 1581826.90.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32575
42674
52674
62674
72674
82674
92674
102674
112575
122575
132575
142575
152377
162377
172476
182377
192377
202377
212377
222377
232377
242377
252476
262476
272476
282377
292476
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Kilmarnock gets around 150 mm of rain and snow over 19.1 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 62% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1638
2648
3648
4649
5659
6659
7659
8659
96510
106510
116510
126410
136410
146310
156310
166310
176210
186110
196110
206010
216010
225910
235910
245810
255810
265810
275810
285810
295810
305810
315810

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 22 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.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 54 min at the start of January to 8 h 12 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 8:55 AM to 8:25 AM, and sunset from 3:47 PM to 4:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.98:553:47
26.98:553:48
36.98:553:49
46.98:553:50
57.08:543:52
67.08:543:53
77.08:533:54
87.18:533:56
97.18:523:57
107.18:513:59
117.28:514:00
127.28:504:02
137.28:494:03
147.38:484:05
157.38:474:07
167.48:464:08
177.48:454:10
187.58:444:12
197.58:434:14
207.68:424:16
217.68:404:17
227.78:394:19
237.78:384:21
247.88:364:23
257.88:354:25
267.98:334:27
278.08:324:29
288.08:304:31
298.18:294:33
308.18:274:35
318.28:254:37

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.38 kWh/m² to a high of 4.76 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 0.51 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
100.4Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.5Dim
180.5Dim
190.5Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.6Dim
240.6Dim
250.6Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.7Dim
290.7Dim
300.7Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kilmarnock?

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
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kilmarnock.

What to pack for Kilmarnock in January

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

In January, Kilmarnock sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Kilmarnock in January

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 15°C and coldest in February near 7°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
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Cool
Sep14Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Kilmarnock 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 Kilmarnock peaks around June 18 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 18UV 5Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Kilmarnock?

Kilmarnock sits at 55.6°N, 4.5°W, 39 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Irvine, 10 km away.

Topography around Kilmarnock

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kilmarnock has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 81 m around an average of 49 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 336 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 993 m.

The land around Kilmarnock is covered by grassland (43%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%), trees (21%) and water (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
81 m
16 km
336 m
80 km
993 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Irvine 10 km · Kilwinning 14 km · Ayr 19 km · Newton Mearns 21 km · Barrhead 22 km · Johnstone 24 km · Paisley 25 km · East Kilbride 26 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 Kilmarnock (55.6117°, -4.4958°, elevation 39 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).