Ottawa weather in January
Temperature, rain and sunshine in January: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.
Holiday weather in January
Poor
Best time to visit: May – September
What is the weather like in Ottawa in January?
In January, Ottawa is freezing cold: daytime highs average −5 °C, and nights often drop below freezing (−14 °C). The sun is scarce, with only about 3 hours a day. Precipitation, often as snow, falls on about 10 days, totalling 69 mm. Snow falls on about 7 days. All in all, January is not an ideal month for a holiday in Ottawa.
January compared
How the weather changes from December to February. Tap a month to open it.
| DecemberDec | JanuaryJan | FebruaryFeb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 12 | 18 | 23 |
| Day | −1° | −5° | −3° |
| Night | −8° | −14° | −12° |
| Sun | 3 h | 3 h | 4 h |
| Rain days | 12 | 10 | 10 |
More details for January
- Daylight
- 9 h 5 min07:39 – 16:44
- UV index
- 1 · lowclear sky, noon (estimate)All months
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or moreAll months
- Wind
- 17 km/haverage daily peakAll months
- Cloud cover
- 71 %on averageAll months
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or moreAll months
- Snow days
- 7 days1 cm or more of fresh snowAll months
- Time zone
- UTC−5America/Toronto
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %0 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %7 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %56 %
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
- Rain jacket or umbrella
Ottawa in January: quick answers
Is Ottawa hot in January?
No. In January, Ottawa is freezing cold: daytime highs average −5 °C and nights drop to about −14 °C.
Does it rain much in Ottawa in January?
Rain is frequent, with about 10 rainy days and 69 mm in total.
Ottawa month by month
The whole year in OttawaAll destinations: CanadaWhere to go in January
Climate averages 1996–2025, 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