Bar Harbor weather in January

In January, Bar Harbor sees average daytime highs of 30°F and overnight lows near 16°F, with 3.9 in of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 Bar Harbor's 3rd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bar Harbor's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
12th warmest
Overnight low
16°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.9 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:12 AM – 4:12 PM
Cloud cover
58%
3rd clearest
Wind
11 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Bar Harbor is town in Hancock County, Maine, United States.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 5.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1763

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 30°F through the month.

A typical January day in Bar Harbor reaches about 30°F in the afternoon and slips back to 16°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°F and 42°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 6°F cooler than December and about 1°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13219
23119
33118
43118
53118
63117
73017
83017
93017
103017
113016
123016
133016
143016
152916
162915
172915
182915
192915
202915
212915
222915
232915
242915
252915
262915
272915
282915
292915
302915
312915

How January really feels in Bar Harbor

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.

Bar Harbor weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 16°3.910.27.790.0
Feb31° / 17°3.39.3710.10.0
Mar38° / 25°3.910.6611.60.0
Apr48° / 37°3.811.42.413.21.6
May57° / 46°3.311014.63.9
Jun66° / 54°3.610.1015.35.9
Jul72° / 60°2.8100156.7
Aug72° / 60°2.88.3013.87.0
Sep66° / 54°3.77.9012.36.3
Oct56° / 45°4.79.90.210.83.7
Nov45° / 35°4.3101.59.41.1
Dec35° / 24°4.811.66.28.70.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
34951
45149
55050
65050
75050
85050
95050
104951
114951
125050
135050
145050
155050
165050
175050
185050
195149
205149
215248
225248
235248
245248
255347
265347
275347
285347
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bar Harbor gets around 3.9 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13625
23626
33626
43526
53526
63525
73525
83525
93625
103626
113626
123626
133626
143526
153525
163525
173425
183425
193325
203325
213224
223224
233124
243124
253124
263124
273124
283124
293124
303125
313125

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 11 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light 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 7:15 AM to 7:01 AM, and sunset from 3:57 PM to 4:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:153:57
28.77:153:58
38.77:153:59
48.87:154:00
58.87:154:01
68.87:154:02
78.87:154:03
88.87:144:04
98.87:144:05
108.97:144:06
118.97:144:07
128.97:134:08
138.97:134:09
149.07:134:10
159.07:124:11
169.07:124:12
179.07:114:14
189.17:114:15
199.17:104:16
209.17:104:17
219.27:094:18
229.27:084:20
239.27:084:21
249.37:074:22
259.37:064:24
269.37:054:25
279.47:044:26
289.47:044:27
299.47:034:29
309.57:024:30
319.57:014:32

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.82 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.41 kWh/m² to a high of 5.84 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.82 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.6Dim
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
232.0Moderate
242.0Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Bar Harbor

In seasonPeak

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

Bar Harbor 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 Bar Harbor?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bar Harbor.

What to pack for Bar Harbor in January

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

In January, Bar Harbor sees daytime highs around 30°F and nights near 16°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Bar Harbor in January

The nearest coast averages about 42°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 55°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

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

40°50°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr40Bracing
May44Bracing
Jun48Bracing
Jul53Bracing
Aug55Bracing
Sep54Bracing
Oct52Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Bar Harbor 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 Bar Harbor 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 22 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 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bar Harbor?

Bar Harbor sits at 44.4°N, 68.2°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bangor, 40 mi away.

Topography around Bar Harbor

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bar Harbor has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 938 ft around an average of 105 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,526 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,516 ft.

The land around Bar Harbor is covered by water (52%) and trees (41%) within 2 miles, water (48%) and trees (47%) within 10 miles, and water (49%) and trees (47%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
938 ft
10 miles
1,526 ft
50 miles
1,516 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Bangor 40 mi · Waterville 71 mi · Augusta 78 mi · Brunswick 93 mi · Lewiston 101 mi · Auburn 103 mi · South Portland 114 mi · Portland 114 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 Bar Harbor (44.3876°, -68.2039°, elevation 0 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).