Weather in Ottawa in January 2026
- January is usually the coldest month of the year in Ottawa;
Average weather
Average temperature in Ottawa in January
The expected average maximum temperature in January is -2°C with a maximum of +5°C and a minimum of -19°C.
The average maximum temperature goes down 50% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +4°C to -8°C.
Is Ottawa warm or cold in January?
Ottawa is typically cold in January.
Maximum temperatures go down compared to the previous month from -1°C to -5°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from -9°C to -14°C.
Wear your winter warms as it will be cold. To save space, layer, and don’t forget gloves and a scarf.
January is the coldest month in Ottawa, here is the comparison with other months:
Climate in Ottawa in January
| December | January | February | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| -1°C | -5°C | -3°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| -33°C | -36°C | -32°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +17°C | +13°C | +13°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 23 mm | 13 mm | 12 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 78% | 74% | 70% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1016 HPa | 1015 HPa | 1016 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 11 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 15 | 16 | 13 | ||||
January weather is still as ok as in December. It’s getting colder in January. From -1°C in the day, the average maximum temperature lowers to -5°C. As January arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 23 mm to 13 mm. It feels drier, as humidity decreases from 78% to 74%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during January, staying around 3 m/s. The good news is there are likely to be more sunny days in January, from 2 to 3.
February brings much the same weather, it remains ok.
Wind
The average wind speed is 4 m/s getting up to 6 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Ottawa is gradually decreasing during January, going from 4 m/s to 3 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
Snow
January is one of the snowiest months in Ottawa.
Here’s how January is compared with other months in the amount of snow, total mm:
How was the weather last January in Ottawa?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Ottawa in January has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1992 (+10°C) and the highest in 2012 (+13°C). The driest year was 1985 with only 469 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2017 with 1378 mm.
FAQ
Is January a good time to visit Ottawa?
Can you sunbathe in Ottawa in January?
Is Ottawa rainy in January?
Is it sunny in Ottawa in January?
Other cities in Canada
Monthly weather in Ottawa
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Ottawa, 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.
