Early January 1 January
46°F
Typical afternoon high
46% historical wet-day frequency
Netherlands · Countryside
Is January a good time?
January averages 43°F afternoons, with about 15 rain days. Later January is typically cooler.
Historical Drenthe regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your January
Afternoons around 43°F (6°C): a warm coat; nights around 33°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.
The sun rises about 08:39 and sets about 16:45 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 33°F (0°C); afternoons reach about 43°F (6°C). Expect rain on about 15 days in a typical January.
Early, middle or late?
Early January is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 46°F on the 1st, versus 44°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 46% to 43% between those dates.
46°F
Typical afternoon high
46% historical wet-day frequency
43°F
Typical afternoon high
46% historical wet-day frequency
44°F
Typical afternoon high
43% 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.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 146° | 246° | 346° | ||||
| 445° | 545° | 645° | 745° | 845° | 944° | 1044° |
| 1144° | 1243° | 1343° | 1443° | 1543° | 1642° | 1742° |
| 1842° | 1942° | 2042° | 2142° | 2242° | 2342° | 2442° |
| 2542° | 2642° | 2743° | 2843° | 2943° | 3044° | 3144° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons cool from about 45°F (7°C) in the first week to 43°F (6°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 42–52%. Local schools are out 1–3 January 2027.
Schools here are off 1–3 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: Germany 21%, Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Visitor season
Low season. January averages 30% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to December.
Overnight stays across Drenthe do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, one of Europe's busiest this month.
Hotel price season
Well 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.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 39°F (4°C) and 47°F (8°C); in 11 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 12–17.
Rain days in each January
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 42°F | 10 |
| 2012 | 44°F | 16 |
| 2013 | 39°F | 12 |
| 2014 | 45°F | 16 |
| 2015 | 43°F | 17 |
| 2016 | 42°F | 17 |
| 2017 | 39°F | 11 |
| 2018 | 45°F | 17 |
| 2019 | 42°F | 12 |
| 2020 | 47°F | 12 |
| 2021 | 42°F | 19 |
| 2022 | 47°F | 11 |
| 2023 | 46°F | 19 |
| 2024 | 43°F | 12 |
| 2025 | 44°F | 15 |
Checked against 2 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Dec | Jan | Feb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 46°F | 43°F | 46°F |
| Rain days | 14 | 15 | 9 |
| Overnight demand | 31% | 30% | 35% |
December: Warmer afternoons than January. December guide →
February: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than January. More overnight demand. February guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.
November has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 31% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the December guide →| Typical conditions | January | December |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 43°F | 46°F |
| Nights | 33°F | 36°F |
| Rain days | 15 | 14 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 6.1 | 6.2 |
| Month rank | #12 | #11 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.1 | #12 | 43°F | 33°F | 15 | 4.1 | Low season |
| February | 6.3 | #10 | 46°F | 32°F | 9 | 4.6 | Moderate season |
| March | 6.7 | #5 | 52°F | 34°F | 11 | 5.7 | Moderate season |
| April | 6.6 | #7 | 59°F | 39°F | 9 | 6.8 | Moderate season |
| May | 6.7 | #4 | 66°F | 46°F | 8 | 7.9 | Busy season |
| June | 6.8 | #3 | 71°F | 52°F | 11 | 8.5 | Busy season |
| July | 6.8 | #2 | 74°F | 54°F | 14 | 8.7 | Busy season |
| August | 6.4 | #9 | 74°F | 55°F | 12 | 9.0 | Peak season |
| September | 7.1 | #1 | 68°F | 50°F | 9 | 8.4 | Moderate season |
| October | 6.6 | #8 | 60°F | 45°F | 13 | 6.5 | Moderate season |
| November | 6.7 | #6 | 50°F | 39°F | 12 | 5.1 | Low season |
| December | 6.2 | #11 | 46°F | 36°F | 14 | 4.2 | Low season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
GroningenNetherlands · about 30 miles
Balanced Overall 3.0 · Poor weather, 43°F (6°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
OverijsselNetherlands · about 30 miles
Balanced Overall 6.1 · Fair weather, 44°F (6°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Weser-Ems & the North Sea coastLower Saxony · Germany · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 6.0 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Amsterdam & North HollandNetherlands · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 5.2 · Fair weather, 45°F (7°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Schleswig-HolsteinGermany · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 3.0 · Poor weather, 41°F (5°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Drenthe's weather ranks 57 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Netherlands have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Drenthe.
PiedmontItaly · about 540 miles
Good weather (5.8): 4°F warmer afternoons, 9 fewer rain days
Toulouse & the PyreneesMidi-Pyrénées · France · about 670 miles
Good weather (5.1): 7°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days
TuscanyFlorence, Siena · Italy · about 680 miles
Good weather (5.6): 9°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season)
UmbriaItaly · about 740 miles
Good weather (5.6): 7°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days
NavarreSpain · about 800 miles
Good weather (5.4): 8°F warmer afternoons, 4 fewer rain days, cheaper
It's low season, 30% of the busiest month and 42% below its average month. That means about 12,000 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 84% of them from Netherlands itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 290 more: 2 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 56 |
| How our weather was checked | 2 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.4°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 24 |
| Busiest month here | August · 80 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 2.4% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 93rd percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 84% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 2 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 2.4% |
| National hotel-price season | Netherlands historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−22% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 507,000 |
| Statistical region | NL13 · Drenthe |
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.