Preston weather in January

In January, Preston sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 102 mm of precipitation across 16.5 wet days and about 7.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-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 13% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 18 min at the start of January to 8 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Preston's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Preston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
102 mm
16.5 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:29 AM – 4:12 PM
Cloud cover
74%
10th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Preston is city and the administrative centre of Lancashire, England.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,203/km²
people per km²
Founded
1086

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 Preston reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 3°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
273
373
473
573
673
773
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2573
2673
2773
2873
2973
3073
3173

How January really feels in Preston

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.

Preston 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 / 10216.51.17.80.8
Feb / 8614.11.49.40.9
Mar / 81140.811.51.6
Apr12° / 7213.30.313.72.8
May15° / 7813.4015.63.9
Jun17° / 11°8914.3016.74.8
Jul19° / 13°9816.1016.35.1
Aug19° / 13°11216.9014.65.0
Sep16° / 11°9713.6012.54.6
Oct13° / 11616010.23.2
Nov10° / 11617.10.28.31.7
Dec / 12316.60.87.30.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22773
32773
42773
52872
62872
72872
82872
92872
102872
112872
122773
132773
142872
152872
162872
172773
182773
192773
202773
212773
222773
232674
242674
252674
262674
272674
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Preston gets around 102 mm of rain and snow over 16.5 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 53% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1534
2534
3544
4544
5554
6553
7563
8563
9573
10573
11573
12573
13563
14563
15553
16553
17543
18543
19534
20534
21524
22514
23514
24504
25504
26494
27494
28494
29495
30495
31495

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
420light breeze
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 18 min at the start of January to 8 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:36 AM to 8:10 AM, and sunset from 3:52 PM to 4:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.38:363:52
27.38:363:53
37.38:363:54
47.38:363:55
57.38:353:56
67.48:353:57
77.48:353:59
87.48:344:00
97.58:344:01
107.58:334:03
117.58:334:04
127.68:324:05
137.68:314:07
147.68:304:08
157.78:304:10
167.78:294:12
177.88:284:13
187.88:274:15
197.88:264:16
207.98:254:18
217.98:244:20
228.08:224:22
238.08:214:23
248.18:204:25
258.18:194:27
268.28:174:29
278.28:164:31
288.38:154:33
298.48:134:34
308.48:124:36
318.58:104:38

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.5 kWh/m² to a high of 5.29 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.65 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
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.6Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.7Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.8Dim
280.8Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
310.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Preston?

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

0.8
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 Preston.

What to pack for Preston in January

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

In January, Preston sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 3°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 Preston 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 30 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
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct14Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Preston 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 Preston peaks around August 12 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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 12UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Preston?

Preston sits at 53.8°N, 2.7°W, 34 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Leyland, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Preston

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Preston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 64 m around an average of 27 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 414 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 849 m.

The land around Preston is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
64 m
16 km
414 m
80 km
849 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Leyland 7.0 km · Chorley 14 km · Blackburn 15 km · Fylde 16 km · Darwen 17 km · Lytham St Annes 19 km · Poulton-le-Fylde 20 km · Horwich 21 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 Preston (53.7628°, -2.7045°, elevation 34 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).