Bangor weather in January

In January, Bangor sees average daytime highs of 28°F and overnight lows near 11°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 42 min at the start of January to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bangor's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bangor's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
11°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
9.1 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:16 AM – 4:13 PM
Cloud cover
56%
2nd clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Bangor is city in and county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States.

Density
362/km²
people per km²
Founded
1769

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 28°F through the month.

A typical January day in Bangor reaches about 28°F in the afternoon and slips back to 11°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°F and 43°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 6°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13014
22913
32913
42913
52913
62912
72912
82912
92812
102811
112811
122811
132811
142811
152811
162810
172810
182810
192810
202810
212710
222710
232710
242710
252810
262810
272810
282810
292810
302810
312810

How January really feels in Bangor

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Bangor weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 11°3.49.16.990.0
Feb31° / 13°2.997.310.10.0
Mar39° / 22°3.610.46.311.60.2
Apr52° / 34°3.611.22.713.22.6
May63° / 44°3.311.30.114.65.3
Jun73° / 53°3.711.4015.36.3
Jul78° / 59°3.110.60156.5
Aug77° / 58°3.09.5013.96.9
Sep69° / 50°3.58.4012.36.7
Oct57° / 40°4.410.60.510.74.0
Nov45° / 30°3.79.82.69.40.9
Dec34° / 19°4.311.578.70.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24951
34951
44951
54951
64951
75050
85050
95050
104951
114951
124951
135050
144951
155050
165050
175149
185149
195149
205149
215248
225347
235347
245347
255347
265347
275347
285347
295347
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bangor gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 9.1 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 30% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13425
23425
33325
43324
53224
63224
73224
83224
93224
103224
113224
123224
133124
143123
153123
163022
173022
182922
192921
202921
212821
222821
232821
242721
252721
262722
272722
282822
292823
302823
312824

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 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min at the start of January to 9 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:18 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 3:58 PM to 4:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:183:58
28.77:193:59
38.77:194:00
48.77:194:01
58.77:194:02
68.77:184:02
78.87:184:03
88.87:184:04
98.87:184:05
108.87:184:07
118.87:174:08
128.97:174:09
138.97:174:10
148.97:164:11
158.97:164:12
169.07:164:13
179.07:154:14
189.07:144:16
199.17:144:17
209.17:134:18
219.17:134:19
229.17:124:21
239.27:114:22
249.27:104:23
259.27:104:25
269.37:094:26
279.37:084:27
289.47:074:29
299.47:064:30
309.47:054:31
319.57:044:33

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 5.74 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.81 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
222.0Dim
232.0Dim
242.0Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.2Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Bangor

In seasonPeak

None of Bangor's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Bangor sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Bangor?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bangor.

What to pack for Bangor in January

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

In January, Bangor sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 11°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Bangor in January

The nearest coast averages about 39°F 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 mi away) is warmest in August at about 58°F and coldest in February near 35°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

30°40°50°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb35Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr40Bracing
May46Bracing
Jun52Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep57Bracing
Oct54Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec44Bracing

UV index in Bangor 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 Bangor peaks around July 13 at about 7 (very 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateModerateLowJul 13UV 7Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bangor?

Bangor sits at 44.8°N, 68.8°W, 118 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bar Harbor, 40 mi away.

Topography around Bangor

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Bangor.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bangor has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 266 ft around an average of 118 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 912 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,870 ft.

The land around Bangor is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, trees (78%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
266 ft
10 miles
912 ft
50 miles
1,870 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Bar Harbor 40 mi · Waterville 45 mi · Augusta 60 mi · Brunswick 85 mi · Lewiston 86 mi · Auburn 87 mi · Portland 108 mi · South Portland 108 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 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 Bangor (44.7988°, -68.7726°, elevation 118 ft), 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).