Bellingham weather in January

In January, Bellingham sees average daytime highs of 44°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 8.4 in of precipitation across 18.6 wet days and about 8.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 44°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bellingham's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bellingham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
44°
11th warmest
Overnight low
38°
1st coldest
Precipitation
8.4 in
18.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 30 min
8:05 AM – 4:34 PM
Cloud cover
74%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.6
out of 10

Bellingham is city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the State of Washington, United States.

Density
1,084/km²
people per km²
Founded
1852

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 44°F through the month.

A typical January day in Bellingham reaches about 44°F in the afternoon and slips back to 38°F overnight — a 6°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 50°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°F cooler than February.

20°30°40°50°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14337
24337
34337
44337
54337
64337
74337
84337
94337
104437
114437
124437
134437
144437
154437
164438
174438
184438
194438
204438
214438
224538
234538
244538
254538
264538
274538
284538
294538
304538
314538

How January really feels in Bellingham

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 13 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
13
wind chill below the day's low

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

Bellingham weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan44° / 38°8.418.63.28.50.6
Feb46° / 38°5.415.32.89.81.0
Mar49° / 40°6.718.91.911.61.5
Apr53° / 43°4.815.20.113.42.5
May57° / 48°3.411.30154.0
Jun61° / 53°2.59.4015.95.2
Jul66° / 57°1.35.1015.57.1
Aug67° / 58°1.85.3014.27.2
Sep64° / 54°3.29.1012.45.9
Oct56° / 48°6.414.7010.53.3
Nov48° / 41°9.518.81.191.4
Dec44° / 38°8.118.33.38.10.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22674
32773
42773
52872
62872
72872
82773
92872
102872
112872
122773
132773
142773
152773
162773
172773
182773
192674
202674
212674
222476
232476
242476
252476
262377
272377
282377
292377
302377
312575

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Bellingham gets around 8.4 in of rain and snow over 18.6 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 59% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16012
26012
36012
46012
56112
66111
76111
86111
96111
106111
116111
126111
136011
146011
156011
165911
175911
185810
195810
205810
215810
225810
235810
24599
25599
26599
27599
28599
29588
30588
31578

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 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:10 AM to 7:51 AM, and sunset from 4:17 PM to 4:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.18:104:17
28.18:104:18
38.28:094:19
48.28:094:19
58.28:094:21
68.28:094:22
78.28:094:23
88.38:094:24
98.38:084:25
108.38:084:26
118.38:084:27
128.48:074:28
138.48:074:30
148.48:064:31
158.48:054:32
168.58:054:34
178.58:044:35
188.58:044:36
198.68:034:38
208.68:024:39
218.78:014:41
228.78:004:42
238.77:594:43
248.87:584:45
258.87:574:46
268.97:564:48
278.97:554:50
288.97:544:51
299.07:534:53
309.07:524:54
319.17:514:56

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.84 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.01 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.9Dim
20.9Dim
30.9Dim
40.9Dim
50.9Dim
60.9Dim
70.9Dim
80.9Dim
90.9Dim
100.9Dim
110.9Dim
120.9Dim
131.0Dim
141.0Dim
151.0Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
181.0Dim
191.1Dim
201.1Dim
211.1Dim
221.1Dim
231.1Dim
241.2Dim
251.2Dim
261.2Dim
271.2Dim
281.3Dim
291.3Dim
301.3Dim
311.4Dim
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Bellingham

In seasonPeak

In January, Bellingham sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Bellingham's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Bellingham?

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

0.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bellingham.

What to pack for Bellingham in January

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

In January, Bellingham sees daytime highs around 44°F and nights near 38°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 19 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Bellingham in January

The nearest coast averages about 45°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 19 mi away) is warmest in August at about 60°F and coldest in January near 45°F.

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

45°50°55°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan45Bracing
Feb45Bracing
Mar46Bracing
Apr49Bracing
May53Bracing
Jun56Bracing
Jul59Cool
Aug60Cool
Sep57Bracing
Oct52Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Bellingham 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 Bellingham peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Bellingham in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Bellingham is worst in September — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1018 µg/m³Dec 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May12Good
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bellingham?

Bellingham sits at 48.8°N, 122.5°W, 69 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Anacortes, 18 mi away.

Topography around Bellingham

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bellingham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 666 ft around an average of 102 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,097 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,758 ft.

The land around Bellingham is covered by trees (39%), artificial surfaces (29%) and water (23%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and water (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (51%) and water (32%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
666 ft
10 miles
3,097 ft
50 miles
10,758 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewater
January weather nearby: Anacortes 18 mi · Townline 22 mi · White Rock 23 mi · Abbotsford 23 mi · South Surrey 24 mi · Mount Vernon 24 mi · Langley 25 mi · Cloverdale 27 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 Bellingham (48.7595°, -122.4882°, elevation 69 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. 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).