Musselburgh weather in January

In January, Musselburgh sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 78 mm of precipitation across 14.8 wet days and about 7.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-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 16% 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 Musselburgh's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Musselburgh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
78 mm
14.8 wet days
Daylight
7 h 18 min
8:42 AM – 4:01 PM
Cloud cover
72%
5th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Musselburgh is town in East Lothian, Scotland, UK.

Density
4,358/km²
people per km²

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 Musselburgh reaches about 6°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°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
163
263
363
463
563
663
763
863
963
1063
1163
1263
1363
1463
1563
1663
1763
1863
1963
2063
2163
2263
2363
2463
2563
2663
2763
2863
2963
3063
3163

How January really feels in Musselburgh

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.

Musselburgh weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7814.82.27.40.5
Feb / 63122.29.20.6
Mar / 61131.611.41.1
Apr10° / 5411.10.613.82.0
May12° / 5812.50163.0
Jun15° / 10°7113.2017.24.0
Jul17° / 12°7713.9016.74.7
Aug17° / 12°8214014.84.7
Sep15° / 10°6712012.54.1
Oct12° / 8913.9010.12.8
Nov / 8014.10.481.5
Dec / 8214.31.86.80.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53169
63169
73169
83169
93169
103169
113169
123169
133169
143169
153070
163070
173169
183070
193070
202971
212971
223070
233070
242971
253070
262971
272872
282971
292971
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Musselburgh gets around 78 mm of rain and snow over 14.8 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 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1489
2489
3489
4498
5498
6498
7508
8507
9507
10507
11506
12506
13496
14496
15496
16485
17486
18486
19476
20476
21466
22466
23456
24457
25457
26447
27447
28448
29438
30438
31438

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

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 8:21 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
26.88:523:40
36.88:513:41
46.98:513:42
56.98:513:44
66.98:503:45
76.98:503:46
87.08:493:48
97.08:483:49
107.08:483:51
117.18:473:52
127.18:463:54
137.28:453:55
147.28:443:57
157.38:433:59
167.38:424:01
177.48:414:02
187.48:404:04
197.48:394:06
207.58:384:08
217.68:364:10
227.68:354:12
237.78:344:14
247.78:324:16
257.88:314:18
267.88:294:20
277.98:284:22
288.08:264:24
298.08:254:26
308.18:234:28
318.18:214:30

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.39 kWh/m² to a high of 4.8 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 0.55 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
80.5Dim
90.5Dim
100.5Dim
110.5Dim
120.5Dim
130.5Dim
140.5Dim
150.5Dim
160.5Dim
170.6Dim
180.6Dim
190.6Dim
200.6Dim
210.6Dim
220.6Dim
230.7Dim
240.7Dim
250.7Dim
260.7Dim
270.7Dim
280.8Dim
290.8Dim
300.8Dim
310.8Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Musselburgh?

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 Musselburgh.

What to pack for Musselburgh in January

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

In January, Musselburgh sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coata windbreaker

Sea temperature near Musselburgh 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 21 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 Musselburgh 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 Musselburgh 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 Musselburgh?

Musselburgh sits at 55.9°N, 3.0°W, 9 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bonnyrigg, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Musselburgh

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Musselburgh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 483 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m.

The land around Musselburgh is covered by water (32%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (34%), cropland (21%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
483 m
80 km
852 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Bonnyrigg 8.0 km · Edinburgh 9.0 km · Penicuik 16 km · Kirkcaldy 21 km · Broxburn 26 km · Glenrothes 29 km · Dunfermline 29 km · Livingston 30 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 Musselburgh (55.9417°, -3.0499°, elevation 9 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).