Thetford weather in January

In January, Thetford sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 51 mm of precipitation across 12 wet days and about 8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-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 15% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 7 h 30 min at the start of January to 8 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Thetford's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Thetford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
51 mm
12 wet days
Daylight
7 h 54 min
8:08 AM – 4:05 PM
Cloud cover
73%
11th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

Thetford is town in Norfolk, England.

Density
840/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 7°C through the month.

A typical January day in Thetford reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 5°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
1572
1672
1772
1872
1972
2072
2172
2272
2372
2472
2572
2672
2772
2872
2972
3072
3172

How January really feels in Thetford

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.

Thetford weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 51120.980.8
Feb / 41101.39.51.0
Mar10° / 4510.50.811.52.1
Apr13° / 4810.7013.63.4
May16° / 5410.4015.44.8
Jun19° / 11°6211.1016.55.7
Jul21° / 13°6011.9016.16.1
Aug21° / 13°6511.2014.56.1
Sep18° / 11°549.7012.45.6
Oct14° / 5911.1010.34.0
Nov10° / 5411.10.28.52.2
Dec / 5411.10.97.51.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43169
53169
63169
73268
83268
93268
103268
113268
123169
133169
143169
153169
163169
173070
183070
193070
203070
213070
223070
232971
242971
252971
262971
272971
282971
292872
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Thetford gets around 51 mm of rain and snow over 12 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 38% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1383
2383
3393
4393
5392
6392
7392
8392
9392
10392
11392
12382
13382
14382
15383
16373
17373
18373
19373
20373
21383
22384
23384
24384
25374
26374
27374
28374
29374
30375
31375

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 7 h 30 min at the start of January to 8 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:15 AM to 7:51 AM, and sunset from 3:46 PM to 4:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.58:153:46
27.58:153:47
37.68:153:48
47.68:143:49
57.68:143:50
67.68:143:51
77.68:133:52
87.78:133:53
97.78:133:55
107.78:123:56
117.88:123:57
127.88:113:59
137.88:104:00
147.98:104:02
157.98:094:03
167.98:084:05
178.08:074:06
188.08:064:08
198.18:054:09
208.18:044:11
218.28:034:12
228.28:024:14
238.28:014:16
248.38:004:17
258.37:594:19
268.47:584:21
278.47:564:23
288.57:554:24
298.57:544:26
308.67:524:28
318.67:514:30

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.6 kWh/m² to a high of 5.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.6Dim
20.6Dim
30.6Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.7Dim
120.7Dim
130.7Dim
140.7Dim
150.7Dim
160.8Dim
170.8Dim
180.8Dim
190.8Dim
200.8Dim
210.8Dim
220.8Dim
230.9Dim
240.9Dim
250.9Dim
260.9Dim
270.9Dim
281.0Dim
291.0Dim
301.0Dim
311.1Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Thetford?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Thetford.

What to pack for Thetford in January

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

In January, Thetford sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Thetford in January

The nearest coast averages about 6°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 57 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in February near 5°C.

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

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan6Bracing
Feb5Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr8Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct13Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec7Bracing

UV index in Thetford 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 Thetford peaks around July 24 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 24UV 6Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Thetford?

Thetford sits at 52.4°N, 0.8°E, 24 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bury St Edmunds, 19 km away.

Topography around Thetford

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Thetford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 81 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m.

The land around Thetford is covered by trees (38%), grassland (27%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, cropland (37%), trees (34%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and cropland (52%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
59 m
16 km
81 m
80 km
190 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Bury St Edmunds 19 km · Newmarket 30 km · Stowmarket 30 km · East Dereham 32 km · Ely 33 km · Bowthorpe 40 km · Sudbury 42 km · Haverhill 43 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 Thetford (52.4167°, 0.75°, elevation 24 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).