York weather in January

In January, York sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 54 mm of precipitation across 11.8 wet days and about 7.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-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 12 min at the start of January to 8 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is York's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see York's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
54 mm
11.8 wet days
Daylight
7 h 42 min
8:23 AM – 4:04 PM
Cloud cover
73%
10th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
0.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

York is city in North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 11.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
574/km²
people per km²
Founded
~71 CE

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 York 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 2°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)
162
262
362
472
572
672
772
872
972
1072
1172
1272
1372
1472
1572
1672
1772
1872
1972
2072
2172
2272
2372
2472
2572
2672
2772
2872
2972
3072
3172

How January really feels in York

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.

York weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5411.81.37.70.7
Feb / 46101.89.41.0
Mar10° / 4610.8111.52.0
Apr12° / 5811.50.413.73.1
May15° / 5511.5015.74.3
Jun18° / 10°7112.2016.85.3
Jul20° / 12°6611.9016.35.9
Aug20° / 12°7211.5014.65.9
Sep17° / 10°5710012.55.3
Oct13° / 6111.5010.23.6
Nov10° / 5911.30.48.31.9
Dec / 5811.11.17.20.8

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 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
52971
62971
72971
82971
92971
102971
112971
122872
132872
142872
152872
162872
172872
182872
192773
202773
212773
222872
232872
242773
252773
262773
272872
282872
292872
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

York gets around 54 mm of rain and snow over 11.8 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 38% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1395
2405
3405
4405
5405
6414
7414
8414
9414
10414
11414
12414
13414
14414
15404
16405
17395
18395
19385
20385
21375
22365
23365
24355
25345
26345
27335
28335
29335
30335
31335

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 17 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
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light 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 12 min at the start of January to 8 h 24 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 8:31 AM to 8:04 AM, and sunset from 3:44 PM to 4:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
17.28:313:44
27.28:313:45
37.38:313:46
47.38:303:47
57.38:303:48
67.38:303:50
77.48:293:51
87.48:293:52
97.48:283:54
107.58:283:55
117.58:273:56
127.58:263:58
137.68:263:59
147.68:254:01
157.68:244:02
167.78:234:04
177.78:224:06
187.88:214:07
197.88:204:09
207.98:194:11
217.98:184:12
228.08:174:14
238.08:164:16
248.18:144:18
258.18:134:20
268.28:124:21
278.28:104:23
288.38:094:25
298.38:074:27
308.48:064:29
318.48:044:31

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 0.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.52 kWh/m² to a high of 5 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 0.67 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.5Dim
50.5Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.6Dim
90.6Dim
100.6Dim
110.6Dim
120.6Dim
130.6Dim
140.6Dim
150.6Dim
160.7Dim
170.7Dim
180.7Dim
190.7Dim
200.7Dim
210.7Dim
220.8Dim
230.8Dim
240.8Dim
250.8Dim
260.8Dim
270.9Dim
280.9Dim
290.9Dim
300.9Dim
311.0Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit York?

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

0.7
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 York.

What to pack for York in January

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

In January, York 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 York 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 63 km away) is warmest in August at about 15°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
May9Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov11Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in York 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 York peaks around August 11 at about 6 (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 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 11UV 6Dec 20UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is York?

York sits at 54.0°N, 1.1°W, 17 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Selby, 19 km away.

Topography around York

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around York has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 711 m.

The land around York is covered by artificial surfaces (48%), grassland (25%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, cropland (51%) and grassland (32%) within 16 km, and grassland (37%) and cropland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
80 m
80 km
711 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Selby 19 km · Kippax 28 km · Harrogate 30 km · Goole 31 km · Castleford 32 km · Chapel Allerton 33 km · Pontefract 33 km · Ripon 35 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 York (53.9576°, -1.0827°, elevation 17 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).