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Weather in January
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Weather in January in Canada

Thinking about venturing to Canada this January and curious about the weather conditions to expect? This page holds all the key information you seek, responding to your question:

What is the weather like in Canada in January?

Canada offers a broad spectrum of weather patterns. In January, one might encounter temperatures that range from very cold to cold, and precipitation levels ranging from low to heavy. The month of January is in the winter season.

Temperatures

During the day temperatures vary from very cold in Alert at -27°C to cold in Ucluelet at 9°C. At night it cools down to 4°C in Ucluelet and -33°C in Alert. Typically, it's the chilliest month of the year. Making it a great time for staying indoors and enjoying the warmth. Make sure you're prepared by packing the right winter outfits.

To learn more about the conditions in specific areas of Canada, check out the map below.

Precipitation

In January, precipitation varies across different areas. From low snowfall in Alert with an average of 12 mm to heavy snowfall in Tofino with 443 mm.

Average sunshine

The city Toronto usually sees around 85 hours of sunlight, indicating fewer sunny days.

For more details on the yearly climate, visit our Canada climate page.

Where to go in Canada in January

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the Canada on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more details.

Weather conditions Weather
Temperatures
Precipitation
Map not visible? Whoops sorry! Please refresh the page.
Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Select a Month of Interest

Check the conditions for any month of the year.

For a detailed overview over the year and the best time to visit Canada, check out our Canada's climate page.

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in January for the 5 most popular destinations in Canada?

Toronto

In January Toronto generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 1°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -7°C and moderate monthly snow/rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Toronto
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly snow/rainfall precipitationSnow/rainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
13°C 
5°C 
2,070 hours 
964 mm 
127 days 
poor 
January January
1°C 
-7°C 
85 hours 
84 mm 
12 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
1°C 
-7°C 
111 hours 
68 mm 
10 days 
poor 
Climate in Toronto

Montréal

In January Montréal generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around -4°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -14°C and moderate monthly snowfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Montréal
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly snowfall precipitationSnowfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
13°C 
2°C 
2,042 hours 
1159 mm 
151 days 
unpleasant 
January January
-4°C 
-14°C 
99 hours 
80 mm 
14 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
-2°C 
-13°C 
128 hours 
72 mm 
12 days 
poor 
Climate in Montréal

Quebec City

In January Quebec City generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around -6°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -16°C and moderate monthly snowfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Quebec City
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly snowfall precipitationSnowfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
11°C 
-0°C 
1,916 hours 
1354 mm 
171 days 
unpleasant 
January January
-6°C 
-16°C 
98 hours 
94 mm 
15 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
-4°C 
-15°C 
120 hours 
84 mm 
13 days 
poor 
Climate in Quebec City

Vancouver

In January Vancouver generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 7°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 2°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Vancouver
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
14°C 
7°C 
1,932 hours 
2282 mm 
171 days 
tolerable 
January January
7°C 
2°C 
60 hours 
312 mm 
19 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
8°C 
2°C 
91 hours 
207 mm 
17 days 
poor 
Climate in Vancouver

Ottawa

In January Ottawa generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around -4°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -15°C and moderate monthly snowfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Ottawa
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly snowfall precipitationSnowfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
13°C 
1°C 
2,087 hours 
1088 mm 
149 days 
unpleasant 
January January
-4°C 
-15°C 
98 hours 
79 mm 
14 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
-2°C 
-14°C 
132 hours 
69 mm 
12 days 
poor 
Climate in Ottawa

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in Canada.

Is January the best time to visit Canada?

Given the typically poor weather conditions in Toronto, January may not be the ideal time to visit Canada.

Generally speaking, June, July, August and September provide perfect weather in Toronto. The weather in January, February, March, April, November and December, on the other hand, tends to be poor.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Canada.

Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to Canada? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in Canada.

Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.