Rome in January:
crisp and chilly, occasional rain
Rome, Italy · Records from 2006 to 2025. Not a forecast.
Rome in January
6 January, Epiphany, is a national holiday, and in Rome the Befana festival brings toy stalls to Piazza Navona. There is a fair amount of rain, but crowds are thin and the Vatican Museums queue is relatively short.
A cool month: highs of 12°C, lows of 4°C. Sweaters came out of the suitcase and mostly stayed on. Showers came now and then, about 9 rain days in all, and most of the month stayed dry. Year to year it swung widely, from 3 rain days in 2020 to 15 in 2021.
The month opened with 9.2 hours of daylight and closed with 10.0. Dusk came early. Frost touched 5 nights of the month on average, enough to glaze puddles and shaded steps at first light. Not every year was typical: 2024 ran 2.1°C warmer than the mean, with highs of 14.3°C. Cold snaps happened: the record low for January was −5.2°C, set in 2007.
Date by date i
0-5/206-8/209-11/2012-20/20
| 1-2 | rain on 35% of days | 12° 4° |
|---|---|---|
| 3-9 | rain on 29% of days | 12° 5° |
| 10-16 | rain on 25% of days | 12° 3° |
| 17-23 | rain on 39% of days | 12° 4° |
| 24-30 | rain on 21% of days | 12° 3° |
| January 31 | rain on 30% of days | 13° 5° |
0-5/206-8/209-11/2012-20/20
| January 1 | rain on 30% of days | 13° 4° |
|---|---|---|
| 2-8 | rain on 30% of days | 12° 4° |
| 9-15 | rain on 26% of days | 12° 4° |
| 16-22 | rain on 36% of days | 12° 4° |
| 23-29 | rain on 24% of days | 12° 3° |
| 30-31 | rain on 28% of days | 13° 4° |
- January 1 New Year's Day
- January 6 Epiphany
- 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. 2020 had 3 rain days, 2021 had 15.
Rome through the year
| Month | High | Low | Rain days | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12° | 4° | 9 days | 80mm |
| February | 13° | 4° | 9 days | 73mm |
| March | 16° | 6° | 8 days | 70mm |
| April | 19° | 9° | 6 days | 51mm |
| MayGood | 24° | 13° | 7 days | 71mm |
| June | 29° | 17° | 4 days | 29mm |
| July | 31° | 20° | 2 days | 17mm |
| August | 32° | 20° | 2 days | 32mm |
| SeptemberGood | 27° | 16° | 5 days | 66mm |
| OctoberGood | 23° | 13° | 7 days | 70mm |
| November | 17° | 9° | 8 days | 105mm |
| December | 13° | 5° | 9 days | 98mm |
Common questions
Does it rain a lot in Rome in January?
Over the past 20 years January averaged 9 rain days (1 mm or more) out of 31. Individual years ran from 3 in the driest to 15 in the wettest.
What should I wear in Rome in January?
Days averaged 12°C and nights 4°C. Pack a compact umbrella and a sweater plus a light jacket.
Is January a good time to visit Rome?
On warmth and rain days alone, Rome's easiest months were May, September and October. January ranked 12 of 12.
How many clear days does Rome get in January?
About 9 clear days (under 30% cloud on average) and 9 overcast days (80% or more).