United Kingdom · Month guide

United Kingdom in January

Around 7 °C with 92 mm of rain and 2.0 hours of sun a day.

January is a solid shoulder-season month in United Kingdom. Around 7 °C with 92 mm of rain and 2.0 hours of sun a day. Use the regional grid below to find where this month works best — national averages hide the swings between coast, highlands, and inland.

Plan a trip in January ← United Kingdom year-round

Avoid

United Kingdom · January

What the weather usually does

United Kingdom · typical month

Day / night
2 – 7 °C
Year range 2 – 19 °C
Rainfall
92 mm
Year range 61 – 113 mm
Sunshine
2.0 hr / day
Year range 1.4 – 6.7 hr / day

What’s open · January

Things to do in United Kingdom in January

Nothing in United Kingdom shuts for the season; January runs the full list.

Open
Walking in the western Highlands and Skye
nothing closes; the midges are simply a fact of the western Highlands in summer, and worst in still air at dawn and dusk near standing water. Edinburgh and the east coast are largely spared
Sources: wildernessscotland.com, outdoorscot.co.uk

Opening seasons are checked by hand against the operators and parks themselves, not derived from the climate figures on this page. Last reviewed 2026-08-28. Dates move — confirm before you book.

232 regions · current month

United Kingdom, taken apart

Safety · 5 governments

What the governments say about United Kingdom

Combined advisory · most-cautious-wins

Exercise increased caution

Highest level across 5 governments · Advisory last changed 2026-10-04

See breakdown by country

AU

Level 2Exercise increased caution

Exercise increased caution

Changed 2026-08-06Checked 2026-10-25www.smartraveller.gov.au

CA

Level 2Exercise increased caution

Exercise increased caution

Changed 2026-10-04Checked 2026-10-25travel.gc.ca

DE

Level 1Exercise normal precautions

Exercise normal precautions

Changed 2026-08-06Checked 2026-10-25www.auswaertiges-amt.de

NL

Level 1Exercise normal precautions

Exercise normal precautions

Changed 2026-08-06Checked 2026-10-25www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl

US

Level 2Exercise increased caution

Exercise increased caution

Changed 2026-09-27Checked 2026-10-25travel.state.gov

Climate at a glance · 10-year ERA5

A decade of weather, in one page

Temperature°C

— daytime high— overnight low▬ typical range

View data table

Month	Average daytime high (°C)	Average overnight low (°C)	Typical low	Typical high
January	6.7	2.4	-1.9	10.6
February	7.7	2.9	-1.1	11.8
March	9.2	3.5	-0.3	13.6
April	11.5	4.5	0.6	16.6
May	15.0	7.7	3.4	19.7
June	17.6	10.7	7.5	23.1
July	19.0	12.4	9.8	24.1
August	18.8	12.3	9.3	22.8
September	16.7	10.4	5.7	21.0
October	13.2	8.1	3.7	16.7
November	9.4	4.9	-0.1	13.2
December	7.7	3.8	-1.3	11.6

Rainfallmm

View data table

Month	Rainfall (mm)
January	92
February	91
March	85
April	61
May	69
June	82
July	88
August	89
September	95
October	113
November	98
December	107

Sunshinehr / day

View data table

Month	Sunshine hours (hr / day)
January	2.0
February	3.1
March	4.4
April	6.2
May	6.7
June	6.2
July	5.5
August	5.1
September	4.2
October	3.0
November	2.2
December	1.4

Windkm/h

— average▬ typical range

View data table

Month	Average wind speed (km/h)	Typical low	Typical high
January	17.7	9.5	28.8
February	19.6	10.3	30.3
March	16.8	9.1	27.7
April	14.7	8.6	22.8
May	13.7	8.1	21.6
June	14.2	7.9	22.8
July	13.5	8.1	20.6
August	14.4	8.1	22.8
September	15.1	8.3	23.7
October	17.0	9.2	25.3
November	16.9	9.3	26.7
December	17.9	8.9	28.9