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Where to go in January / Norway in January / Southern Norway / January

Norway · Countryside

Southern Norway
in January.

Illustration of Representative Posebyen street in Kristiansand
Posebyen streets in KristiansandDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Similar overnight stays to December.

January averages 35°F afternoons and 42°F seas, with about 13 rain days. Check seasonal openings.

Afternoons
35°F
Sea
42°F
Visitor demand
9.5%of July peak

Historical Agder og Sør-Østlandet regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Kristiansand; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

4.6/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather3.3/10Fair
CrowdsOff seasoncheck seasonal openings; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostPriceyfor Europe

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 35°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 13 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 7 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 7 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 09:09Sunset 16:0326°F35°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 09:09 and sets about 16:03 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 26°F (−3°C); afternoons reach about 35°F (2°C). Expect rain on about 13 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
35°F (2°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
26°F (−3°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
42°F (5°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
6h 53m
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 37°F on the 1st, versus 36°F on the 31st.

Early January 1 January

37°F

Typical afternoon high

44% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

35°F

Typical afternoon high

40% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

36°F

Typical afternoon high

42% 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.

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
137°236°336°
436°536°636°736°835°935°1035°
1135°1235°1335°1435°1535°1635°1735°
1835°1935°2035°2135°2235°2335°2435°
2536°2636°2736°2836°2936°3036°3136°

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

School-holiday dates for January 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open.

Afternoons hold at about 35°F (2°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 38–47%.

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.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Off season. January averages 9.5% of July's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to December. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.

Overnight stays across Agder og Sør-Østlandet 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?

Well below usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €99 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.

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

Historical hotel average
€99
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per occupied room-night; not a current booking quote. −13% vs this region's usual month.
Norway as a whole
Well above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 140 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

The historical regional amount comes from Statistics Norway (SSB), table 14168: hotel accommodation revenue per occupied room; the country price level is national. Hotel averages are not live booking quotes.

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 30°F (−1°C) and 44°F (6°C); in 7 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 35°F (2°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 25; half the years had 9–17.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 10 rain days1020112012: 14 rain days142013: 8 rain days82014: 25 rain days252015: 18 rain days182016: 16 rain days162017: 5 rain days52018: 18 rain days182019: 13 rain days132020: 13 rain days132021: 9 rain days92022: 8 rain days82023: 17 rain days172024: 13 rain days132025: 11 rain days112025
Rain days
13
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 18 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
4 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
201133°F10
201236°F14
201331°F8
201434°F25
201539°F18
201630°F16
201739°F5
201836°F18
201935°F13
202044°F13
202131°F9
202239°F8
202337°F17
202431°F13
202536°F11

Checked against 55 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs July peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons39°F35°F38°F
Sea45°F42°F39°F
Rain days141310
Overnight demand9.7%9.5%13%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons, cooler sea 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 October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 9.7% of the busiest month; check seasonal openings.

Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €104 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons35°F39°F
Nights26°F30°F
Sea42°F45°F
Rain days1314
Visitor seasonOff seasonOff season
Overall / 104.64.6
Month rank#11#12
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January4.6#1135°F26°F42°F133.3Off season
February5.5#938°F27°F39°F103.7Low season
March6.1#744°F30°F40°F94.8Low season
April6.7#552°F36°F44°F66.1Low season
May6.9#362°F44°F51°F87.2Low season
June7.0#268°F52°F58°F98.5Moderate season
July6.0#871°F55°F62°F118.9Peak season
August7.0#169°F54°F64°F108.6Moderate season
September6.9#463°F49°F60°F116.9Low season
October6.1#653°F42°F55°F124.9Low season
November5.4#1044°F35°F50°F133.8Low season
December4.6#1239°F30°F45°F143.3Off 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 Southern Norway

Southern Norway's weather ranks 113 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Norway have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Southern Norway.

All of Norway in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's off season, 9.5% of the busiest month and 65% below its average month. That means about 4,600 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 75% of them from Norway itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 750 more: 16 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)51
How our weather was checked55 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.2°C), night lows within 1°F (0.8°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day6
Busiest month hereJuly · 64
Visitors as share of people present0.6%
Rank among Europe's regions this month48th percentile
Domestic share of nights75%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights16
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.7%
Population used758,000
Statistical regionNO09 · Agder og Sør-Østlandet

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; the first figure is regional (Statistics Norway (SSB), table 14168: hotel accommodation revenue per occupied room). Full method · this region's data.