Lai Châu weather in January

In January, Lai Châu sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 63 mm of precipitation across 10 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lai Châu's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lai Châu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
12th warmest
Overnight low
10°
1st coldest
Precipitation
63 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:52 AM – 5:38 PM
Cloud cover
61%
6th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical January day in Lai Châu reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11810
21810
31810
41810
51810
61810
71810
81810
91810
101810
111810
121810
131810
141810
151810
161810
171810
181810
191810
201810
211810
221810
231810
241810
251810
261810
271810
281810
291810
301810
311810

Lai Châu 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 10°631010.85.9
Feb20° / 11°539.411.26.4
Mar24° / 14°10613.811.86.5
Apr26° / 17°13618.712.55.4
May27° / 20°22224.413.14.3
Jun28° / 21°32528.513.33.4
Jul27° / 22°38929.513.23.4
Aug28° / 21°37128.712.83.5
Sep27° / 20°20122.212.14.5
Oct25° / 18°961511.56.0
Nov22° / 14°508.710.96.9
Dec19° / 11°497.410.76.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
34753
44753
54753
64654
74654
84555
94555
104555
114456
124456
134456
144456
154555
164555
174555
184456
194555
204456
214456
224555
234555
244555
254555
264555
274456
284555
294555
304654
314753

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lai Châu gets around 63 mm of rain and snow over 10 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 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
228
329
430
530
631
731
832
932
1032
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2233
2333
2433
2533
2634
2734
2834
2934
3034
3134

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
183161
283161
383161
483161
583161
683161
784151
884151
984151
1085141
1185141
1286131
1386131
1486131
1587121
1687121
1788120
1889110
1989110
2089110
2189110
2289110
2388120
2487121
2587121
2686131
2786131
2885141
2985141
3085141
3185141

Wind in January

Winds average 4 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:50 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 5:29 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:505:29
210.76:505:29
310.76:505:30
410.76:515:31
510.76:515:31
610.76:515:32
710.76:515:33
810.76:525:33
910.76:525:34
1010.76:525:34
1110.76:525:35
1210.76:525:36
1310.76:525:36
1410.76:525:37
1510.86:525:38
1610.86:525:38
1710.86:525:39
1810.86:525:40
1910.86:525:40
2010.86:525:41
2110.86:525:42
2210.86:525:43
2310.96:525:43
2410.96:525:44
2510.96:525:45
2610.96:525:45
2710.96:515:46
2810.96:515:47
2910.96:515:47
3011.06:515:48
3111.06:505:49

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.66 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.66 kWh/m² to a high of 4.99 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 2.66 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Lai Châu

In seasonPeak

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

Lai Châu's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Lai Châu?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Lai Châu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lai Châu in January

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

In January, Lai Châu sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Lai Châu in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lai Châu peaks around June 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 5 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 19UV 14Dec 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7High
Feb9Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr9Very high
May11Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec5High

Air quality in Lai Châu 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 Lai Châu is worst in April — around 70 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.0× the cleanest month (July, 14 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyModerateApr 1367 µg/m³Jul 1814 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb33Moderate
Mar54Poor
Apr70Unhealthy
May28Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lai Châu?

Lai Châu sits at 22.4°N, 103.5°E, 919 m above sea level, in Vietnam. The nearest listed city is Sapa, 40 km away.

Thị Trấn Thuận ChâuÍt OngDien Bien PhuSơn La

Topography around Lai Châu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lai Châu has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 544 m around an average of 1,001 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,836 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,035 m.

The land around Lai Châu is covered by trees (43%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, trees (74%) within 16 km, and trees (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
544 m
16 km
2,836 m
80 km
3,035 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Sapa 40 km · Lào Cai 54 km · Mường Lay 55 km · Thị Trấn Phố Lu 75 km · Thị Trấn Thuận Châu 109 km · Ít Ong 114 km · Dien Bien Phu 121 km · Sơn La 128 km

Vietnam travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B / C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,066
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
59%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2011
Road deaths
30.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 500
Religion
none 86%Catholic 6%Buddhist 6%Protestant 1%

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 Lai Châu (22.3964°, 103.4582°, elevation 919 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. 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).