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Where to go in January / Germany in January / Weser-Ems & the North Sea coast / January

Germany · Countryside

Weser-Ems & the North Sea coast
in January.

Illustration of East Frisian dune trail opening onto a broad North Sea beach
East Frisian dunes on the North Sea coastDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 43°F afternoons and 42°F seas, with about 15 rain days.

Afternoons
43°F
Sea
42°F
Visitor demand
19%of August peak

Historical Weser-Ems regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers East Frisian Islands and Oldenburg; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.0/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.0/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostModeratefor Europe; Germany-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your January

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 43°F (6°C): a warm coat; nights around 32°F (0°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 15 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 8 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 42°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 8 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:35Sunset 16:4032°F43°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:35 and sets about 16:40 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 32°F (0°C); afternoons reach about 43°F (6°C). Expect rain on about 15 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
43°F (6°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
32°F (0°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
42°F (6°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
8h 06m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late January?

Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 45°F on the 1st, versus 43°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 50% to 45% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

45°F

Typical afternoon high

50% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

42°F

Typical afternoon high

45% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

43°F

Typical afternoon high

45% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 Jan New Year's Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesJanuary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

January 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
145°245°345°
445°545°645°744°844°944°1043°
1143°1243°1342°1442°1542°1642°1742°
1841°1941°2041°2141°2241°2341°2441°
2541°2642°2742°2842°2942°3043°3143°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons cool from about 45°F (7°C) in the first week to 42°F (6°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 40–56%. Local schools are out 1–9 January 2027.

Schools here are off 1–9 January 2027 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day. Elsewhere in January 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%, Greece 23%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Low season. January averages 19% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Weser-Ems do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

A little below usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Germany as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 112 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does January vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 39°F (4°C) and 47°F (8°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 43°F (6°C). Rain days ranged from 10 to 19; half the years had 12–18.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 10 rain days1020112012: 18 rain days182013: 12 rain days122014: 16 rain days162015: 19 rain days192016: 19 rain days192017: 11 rain days112018: 17 rain days172019: 14 rain days142020: 12 rain days122021: 17 rain days172022: 12 rain days122023: 19 rain days192024: 13 rain days132025: 15 rain days152025
Rain days
15
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 19 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
1 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no January in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
1 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded JanuaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201141°F10
201243°F18
201339°F12
201444°F16
201543°F19
201641°F19
201739°F11
201845°F17
201942°F14
202047°F12
202140°F17
202246°F12
202346°F19
202443°F13
202543°F15

Checked against 8 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons45°F43°F45°F
Sea45°F42°F41°F
Rain days14159
Overnight demand25%19%24%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. More overnight demand. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than January. More overnight demand. February guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with January Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.

March to November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 25% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons43°F45°F
Nights32°F36°F
Sea42°F45°F
Rain days1514
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 106.06.1
Month rank#12#11
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.0#1243°F32°F42°F154.0Low season
February6.3#1045°F32°F41°F94.5Low season
March6.5#751°F34°F42°F105.7Moderate season
April6.7#559°F39°F46°F96.9Moderate season
May6.7#466°F46°F52°F97.9Busy season
June6.9#272°F52°F59°F108.5Busy season
July6.7#374°F55°F64°F138.7Peak season
August6.6#675°F55°F66°F118.9Peak season
September7.0#168°F50°F64°F98.5Busy season
October6.3#960°F45°F58°F136.4Busy season
November6.5#849°F38°F51°F125.0Low season
December6.1#1145°F36°F45°F144.1Low season

Near here

Nearby places in January

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better January weather than Weser-Ems & the North Sea coast

Weser-Ems & the North Sea coast's weather ranks 68 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Weser-Ems & the North Sea coast.

All of Germany in January · Everywhere in January

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's low season, 19% of the busiest month and 67% below its average month. That means about 16,000 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 89% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 2,600 more: 16 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)55
How our weather was checked8 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day6
Busiest month hereAugust · 34
Visitors as share of people present0.6%
Rank among Europe's regions this month50th percentile
Domestic share of nights89%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights16
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.7%
National hotel-price seasonGermany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used2.6 million
Statistical regionDE94 · Weser-Ems

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.