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Weather in January
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Russia weather in January

Thinking about venturing to Russia 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 Russia in January?

In January, Russia experiences a range of weather conditions, with temperatures that range from very cold to cold and precipitation levels ranging from almost none to heavy. In January, it is winter.

During the day temperatures vary from very cold in Ust-Maya at -33°C to cold in Sochi at 9°C. At night it cools down to 4°C in Sochi and -41°C in Ust-Maya. On average, January is the coldest month of the year in Russia. So be prepared and make sure to pack winter cloths.

In January, precipitation varies across different areas. From almost no snowfall in Chita with an average of 4 mm to heavy snowfall in Vardane with 163 mm. The city Saint Petersburg usually sees around 21 hours of sunlight, indicating fewer sunny days.

For a closer look at January's conditions in Russia, see the map below. For a more detailed look at Russia's yearly weather, check out our Russia climate page.

Where to go in Russia in January

Find the average weather conditions in January for the most popular destinations in Russia on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailed information.

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).

Popular destinations in Russia

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

Average weather in Saint Petersburg

In January Saint Petersburg generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around -2°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -8°C and moderate monthly snowfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Saint Petersburg
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
<<   December December
<<  
0°C 
-5°C 
12 hours 
57 mm 
22 days 
poor 
January January
-2°C 
-8°C 
21 hours 
51 mm 
19 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
-2°C 
-9°C 
53 hours 
44 mm 
15 days 
poor 
Climate in Saint Petersburg

Average weather in Moscow

In January Moscow generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around -3°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -10°C and moderate monthly snowfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Moscow
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
<<   December December
<<  
-2°C 
-7°C 
19 hours 
48 mm 
22 days 
poor 
January January
-3°C 
-10°C 
32 hours 
46 mm 
19 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
-3°C 
-10°C 
71 hours 
44 mm 
15 days 
poor 
Climate in Moscow

Average weather in Adler

In January Adler generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 8°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 4°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Adler
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
<<   December December
<<  
11°C 
6°C 
86 hours 
146 mm 
17 days 
poor 
January January
8°C 
4°C 
96 hours 
147 mm 
16 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
8°C 
3°C 
105 hours 
123 mm 
14 days 
poor 
Climate in Adler

Average weather in Yekaterinburg

In January Yekaterinburg generally has very low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around -9°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around -17°C and low monthly snowfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Yekaterinburg
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
<<   December December
<<  
-7°C 
-15°C 
37 hours 
28 mm 
14 days 
poor 
January January
-9°C 
-17°C 
47 hours 
25 mm 
15 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
-7°C 
-16°C 
94 hours 
23 mm 
12 days 
poor 
Climate in Yekaterinburg

Average weather in Sochi

In January Sochi generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 9°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 4°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor that month.

Sochi
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
<<   December December
<<  
11°C 
6°C 
86 hours 
157 mm 
17 days 
poor 
January January
9°C 
4°C 
97 hours 
159 mm 
16 days 
poor 
February   >> February
>>  
9°C 
3°C 
104 hours 
130 mm 
14 days 
poor 
Climate in Sochi

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

Is January the best time to visit Russia?

Given the typically poor weather conditions in Saint Petersburg, January may not be the ideal time to visit Russia.

On average, the best time to visit Russia is in June, July and August with generally perfect weather in Saint Petersburg. On the other hand, the months of January, February, March, April, October, November and December tend to have poor weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Russia. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

  • January      
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  • May      
  • June      
  • July      
  • August      
  • September      
  • October      
  • November      
  • December      

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

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