Paris in January:
properly cold,
Paris, France · Records from 2006 to 2025. Not a forecast.
Paris in January
The festive lights come down and the city goes quiet. The winter sales (soldes) start in early January, so department stores and boutiques get crowded. Days are short and grey, which suits a museum-heavy plan. Bring a warm coat and a scarf.
Cold, plain and simple: highs of 8°C, lows of 3°C. Warm cafes and museums earned their keep. Daily swings were small, about 4°C, with no sudden drop at dusk. With 10 rain days on average, a wet day was rarely more than a few days away. Counts moved moderately between years: 6 in 2012, 17 in 2014.
Days were short. Daylight grew from 8.4 to 9.4 hours across the month, so plan outdoor sights early. 8 nights a month dropped below freezing on average. Gloves earned their place for early starts. The warmest year was 2007, with highs averaging 10.4°C, 2.8°C above normal. Cold snaps happened: the record low for January was −10.6°C, set in 2009.
Date by date i
0-5/206-8/209-11/2012-20/20
| 1-2 | rain on 40% of days | 8° 4° |
|---|---|---|
| 3-9 | rain on 34% of days | 8° 4° |
| 10-16 | rain on 36% of days | 8° 3° |
| 17-23 | rain on 31% of days | 7° 3° |
| 24-30 | rain on 29% of days | 7° 3° |
| January 31 | rain on 45% of days | 8° 3° |
0-5/206-8/209-11/2012-20/20
| January 1 | rain on 45% of days | 8° 4° |
|---|---|---|
| 2-8 | rain on 32% of days | 8° 4° |
| 9-15 | rain on 37% of days | 8° 3° |
| 16-22 | rain on 34% of days | 7° 3° |
| 23-29 | rain on 26% of days | 7° 3° |
| 30-31 | rain on 43% of days | 8° 3° |
- January 1 New Year's Day
- January 18 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
1 Local public holiday or break (busier, pricier)1 US holidays (flights fill up)
Day by day temperature i
Mean high Mean low Coldest to warmest high in 20 years
Your trip dates, the past 20 years
No rain1-9 mm10 mm or more Dates outside your trip are dimmed.
One row per year, one cell per day. 2012 had 6 rain days, 2014 had 17.
Paris through the year
| Month | High | Low | Rain days | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8° | 3° | 10 days | 54mm |
| February | 9° | 4° | 9 days | 45mm |
| March | 13° | 6° | 11 days | 51mm |
| April | 16° | 8° | 8 days | 41mm |
| May | 20° | 11° | 10 days | 71mm |
| JuneGood | 24° | 14° | 9 days | 61mm |
| JulyGood | 26° | 16° | 8 days | 61mm |
| AugustGood | 26° | 16° | 8 days | 57mm |
| September | 22° | 13° | 8 days | 44mm |
| October | 17° | 10° | 10 days | 62mm |
| November | 11° | 6° | 10 days | 57mm |
| December | 8° | 4° | 12 days | 64mm |
Common questions
Does it rain a lot in Paris in January?
Over the past 20 years January averaged 10 rain days (1 mm or more) out of 31. Individual years ran from 6 in the driest to 17 in the wettest.
What should I wear in Paris in January?
Days averaged 8°C and nights 3°C. Pack a compact umbrella, a waterproof jacket, and a warm coat.
Is January a good time to visit Paris?
On warmth and rain days alone, Paris's easiest months were June to August. January ranked 11 of 12.
Is Paris humid in January?
Mean relative humidity was 88%, high, but there were no muggy days (dew point of 20°C or more).