Weather in Edinburgh in January 2025
- January is usually the coldest month of the year in Edinburgh;
Average weather
Average temperature in Edinburgh in January
Going from a maximum of +12°C during the day to a minimum of -4°C during the night, the temperature in January averages around +7°C.
The average maximum temperature goes up 25% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +4°C to +8°C.
Is Edinburgh warm or cold in January?
Edinburgh is typically cool in January.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from +7°C to +6°C. The minimum temperature also goes up from +2°C to +2°C.
Pack a sweater and a jacket as there will be cooler temperatures.
January is the coldest month in Edinburgh, here is the comparison with other months:
Water temperature in Edinburgh in January
Water in Edinburgh in January is Cold. It varies from +6°C to +9°C, with an average of +8°C. Note that the air temperature is lower than the water temperature, averaging around +6°C.
The water temperature in January is one of the coldest of the entire year:
Can you swim in Edinburgh in January?
Climate in Edinburgh in January
| December | January | February | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +7°C | +6°C | +7°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -10°C | -16°C | -9°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +14°C | +13°C | +15°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 88 mm | 79 mm | 67 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | ||||
| Avg. water temperature | ||||||
| +10°C | +8°C | +7°C | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 85% | 83% | 81% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1008 HPa | 1009 HPa | 1011 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 10 | 9 | 9 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | 14 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 3 | 4 | 3 | ||||
January often has better weather than December. It’s getting colder in January. From +7°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to +6°C. As January arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 88 mm to 79 mm. It feels drier, as humidity decreases from 85% to 83%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during January, staying around 4 m/s. The amount of sunny days stay about the same, averaging 2 sunny days during the month.
February brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 5 m/s getting up to 9 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Edinburgh is gradually increasing during January, going from 2 m/s to 8 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
January is one of the snowiest months in Edinburgh.
Here’s how January is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last January in Edinburgh?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Edinburgh in January has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1979 (+10°C) and the highest in 2014 (+13°C). The driest year was 2003 with only 701 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2014 with 1741 mm.
FAQ
Is January a good time to visit Edinburgh?
Can you sunbathe in Edinburgh in January?
Can you swim in Edinburgh in January?
Is Edinburgh rainy in January?
Is it sunny in Edinburgh in January?
Other cities in United Kingdom
Monthly weather in Edinburgh
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Edinburgh, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.