City break

Fairbanks weather in January

Temperature, rain and sunshine in January: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.

30

Holiday weather in January

Poor

Best time to visit: May – August

What is the weather like in Fairbanks in January?

In January, Fairbanks is bitterly cold: daytime highs average −17 °C, and nights often drop below freezing (−27 °C). The sun is scarce, with only about 1.3 hours a day. Precipitation falls on about 3 days, totalling 10 mm; on about 3 of them it snows. All in all, January is not an ideal month for a holiday in Fairbanks.

January compared

How the weather changes from December to February. Tap a month to open it.

DecemberDecJanuaryJanFebruaryFeb
Score303032
Day−15°−17°−11°
Night−25°−27°−24°
Sun0.2 h1.3 h3.6 h
Rain days434

More details for January

Daylight
5 h 1 min10:29 – 15:30
UV index
0 · lowclear sky, noon (estimate)All months
Muggy days
0 daysdew point 18 °C or moreAll months
Wind
12 km/haverage daily peakAll months
Cloud cover
57 %on averageAll months
Hot days
0 days30 °C or more
Snow days
3 days1 cm or more of fresh snowAll months
Time zone
UTC−9offset from UTC

How the score comes together

  • Temperatureweight 50 %0 %
  • Sunshineweight 20 %0 %
  • Few rainy daysweight 30 %100 %

Each factor is rated from 0 to 100 % and weighted for the travel style “City break”.

What to pack in January

  • Warm jacket
  • Hat, scarf & gloves

Fairbanks in January: quick answers

Is Fairbanks hot in January?

No. In January, Fairbanks is bitterly cold: daytime highs average −17 °C and nights drop to about −27 °C.

Does it rain much in Fairbanks in January?

Rain is rare: about 3 days bring 10 mm in total.

Fairbanks month by month

Climate averages 1996–2025 (sunshine partly WMO station normals 1991–2020), not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sources & licences