Weather in Istanbul in January 2025
- January is usually the coldest month of the year in Istanbul;
Average weather
Average temperature in Istanbul in January
Going from a maximum of +19°C during the day to a minimum of +1°C during the night, the temperature in January averages around +12°C.
The average maximum temperature goes down 33% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +12°C to +6°C.
Is Istanbul warm or cold in January?
Istanbul is typically cool in January.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from +11°C to +9°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from +7°C to +5°C.
Pack a sweater and a jacket as there will be cooler temperatures.
January is the coldest month in Istanbul, here is the comparison with other months:
Water temperature in Istanbul in January
Water in Istanbul in January is Cold. It varies from +6°C to +10°C, with an average of +8°C. This is almost similar to the air temperature, which averages +9°C.
The water temperature in January is one of the coldest of the entire year:
Can you swim in Istanbul in January?
Climate in Istanbul in January
| December | January | February | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +11°C | +9°C | +9°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -2°C | -8°C | -5°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +24°C | +19°C | +23°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 81 mm | 65 mm | 50 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | ||||
| Avg. water temperature | ||||||
| +11°C | +8°C | +8°C | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 76% | 76% | 75% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1018 HPa | 1018 HPa | 1018 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | 7 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 14 | 13 | 11 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
January weather is still as ok as in December. It’s getting colder in January. From +11°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to +9°C. As January arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 81 mm to 65 mm. Humidity levels don’t change as the month goes on, averaging around 76%. 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 6 sunny days during the month.
February brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 4 m/s getting up to 7 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Istanbul is gradually increasing during January, going from 1 m/s to 3 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
January is one of the snowiest months in Istanbul.
Here’s how January is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last January in Istanbul?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Istanbul in January has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1997 (+16°C) and the highest in 2019 (+20°C). The driest year was 1984 with only 361 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2010 with 859 mm.
FAQ
Is January a good time to visit Istanbul?
Can you sunbathe in Istanbul in January?
Can you swim in Istanbul in January?
Is Istanbul rainy in January?
Is it sunny in Istanbul in January?
Other cities in Turkey
Monthly weather in Istanbul
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Istanbul, 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.