Plymouth weather in January

In January, Plymouth sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 102 mm of precipitation across 15.5 wet days and about 8.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 54 min at the start of January to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Plymouth's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plymouth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
102 mm
15.5 wet days
Daylight
8 h 18 min
8:18 AM – 4:33 PM
Cloud cover
75%
12th clearest
Wind
28 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
0.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.6
out of 10

Plymouth is city in Devon, England.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 11.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,282/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 9°C through the month.

A typical January day in Plymouth reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 12°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)
1107
2107
3107
4107
5107
697
797
897
997
1097
1197
1297
1397
1497
1597
1697
1797
1897
1997
2097
2197
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
2896
2996
3096
3196

Plymouth 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 10215.58.31.6
Feb / 7611.99.71.5
Mar10° / 6711.911.51.9
Apr11° / 6311.513.52.6
May13° / 10°6110.815.23.6
Jun16° / 13°6110.616.14.6
Jul17° / 15°6110.515.75.6
Aug18° / 15°7011.214.35.6
Sep16° / 14°6110.312.45.0
Oct14° / 12°10414.510.53.7
Nov12° / 11215.48.82.6
Dec10° / 10915.17.92.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32674
42773
52773
62773
72773
82971
92971
102971
112971
122971
133070
143070
153169
163070
173070
183070
192971
202971
212872
222674
232674
242674
252674
262575
272575
282575
292575
302575
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Plymouth gets around 102 mm of rain and snow over 15.5 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 50% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
151
251
352
452
552
653
753
854
954
1055
1155
1255
1355
1454
1554
1653
1753
1852
1951
2050
2149
2248
2346
2445
2544
2643
2743
2842
2942
3042
3142

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 28 km/h in January.

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
129breezy
229breezy
329breezy
429breezy
529breezy
629breezy
729breezy
829breezy
929breezy
1029breezy
1129breezy
1228breezy
1328breezy
1428breezy
1528breezy
1628breezy
1728breezy
1828breezy
1928breezy
2028breezy
2127breezy
2227breezy
2327breezy
2427breezy
2527breezy
2627breezy
2727breezy
2827breezy
2927breezy
3027breezy
3127breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 54 min at the start of January to 8 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:24 AM to 8:03 AM, and sunset from 4:16 PM to 4:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.98:244:16
27.98:244:17
37.98:244:18
47.98:234:19
57.98:234:20
68.08:234:21
78.08:234:22
88.08:224:23
98.08:224:24
108.18:224:26
118.18:214:27
128.18:214:28
138.28:204:29
148.28:204:31
158.28:194:32
168.38:184:33
178.38:174:35
188.38:174:36
198.48:164:38
208.48:154:39
218.48:144:41
228.58:134:42
238.58:124:44
248.68:114:46
258.68:104:47
268.78:094:49
278.78:084:50
288.88:074:52
298.88:054:54
308.98:044:55
318.98:034:57

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.75 kWh/m² to a high of 5.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.8Dim
40.8Dim
50.8Dim
60.8Dim
70.8Dim
80.8Dim
90.8Dim
100.8Dim
110.8Dim
120.9Dim
130.9Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
160.9Dim
170.9Dim
180.9Dim
191.0Dim
201.0Dim
211.0Dim
221.0Dim
231.0Dim
241.0Dim
251.1Dim
261.1Dim
271.1Dim
281.1Dim
291.1Dim
301.2Dim
311.2Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Plymouth?

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

1.6
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 Plymouth.

What to pack for Plymouth in January

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

In January, Plymouth sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 7°C. Pack a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Plymouth in January

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 16 km away) is warmest in August at about 17°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

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

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan10Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Plymouth 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 Plymouth peaks around August 13 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Plymouth?

Plymouth sits at 50.4°N, 4.1°W, 14 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Plymstock, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Plymouth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Plymouth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 651 m.

The land around Plymouth is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and water (29%) within 3 km, water (36%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and water (48%) and grassland (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
492 m
80 km
651 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Plymstock 4.0 km · Saltash 7.0 km · Paignton 41 km · Newton Abbot 41 km · Bodmin 43 km · Brixham 45 km · St Austell 45 km · Torquay 45 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 Plymouth (50.3715°, -4.143°, 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).