Early January 1 January
47°F
Typical afternoon high
18% historical wet-day frequency
Switzerland · Mountains
Is January a good time?
January averages 46°F afternoons, with about 4 rain days.
Historical Ticino regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lugano and Locarno; conditions vary within the region.
This weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your January
Afternoons around 46°F (8°C): a warm coat; nights around 31°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 9 hours of daylight. About 4 rain days in a typical January.
The sun rises about 08:04 and sets about 17:03 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 31°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 46°F (8°C). Expect rain on about 4 days in a typical January.
Early, middle or late?
Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 47°F on the 1st, versus 47°F on the 31st.
47°F
Typical afternoon high
18% historical wet-day frequency
45°F
Typical afternoon high
18% historical wet-day frequency
47°F
Typical afternoon high
20% 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; 6 Jan Epiphany.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 147° | 247° | 347° | ||||
| 446° | 546° | 646° | 746° | 846° | 946° | 1046° |
| 1146° | 1246° | 1345° | 1445° | 1545° | 1645° | 1745° |
| 1845° | 1946° | 2045° | 2145° | 2246° | 2346° | 2446° |
| 2546° | 2646° | 2747° | 2847° | 2947° | 3047° | 3147° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons hold at about 46°F (8°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 15–21%. Local schools are out 1–6 January 2027.
Schools here are off 1–6 January 2027 (Christmas). Other school-holiday dates this month may be missing. Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day; 6 Jan Epiphany. 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 11% of July's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.
Overnight stays across Ticino do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe 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 42°F (6°C) and 50°F (10°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 46°F (8°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 12; half the years had 3–9.
Rain days in each January
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 44°F | 4 |
| 2012 | 46°F | 7 |
| 2013 | 46°F | 4 |
| 2014 | 45°F | 12 |
| 2015 | 47°F | 7 |
| 2016 | 47°F | 6 |
| 2017 | 43°F | 1 |
| 2018 | 47°F | 12 |
| 2019 | 44°F | 3 |
| 2020 | 50°F | 2 |
| 2021 | 42°F | 11 |
| 2022 | 49°F | 1 |
| 2023 | 46°F | 3 |
| 2024 | 47°F | 3 |
| 2025 | 47°F | 9 |
Checked against 8 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Dec | Jan | Feb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 47°F | 46°F | 50°F |
| Rain days | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Overnight demand | 15% | 11% | 14% |
December: More overnight demand. December guide →
February: Warmer afternoons 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.
March to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 15% 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 | 46°F | 47°F |
| Nights | 31°F | 33°F |
| Rain days | 4 | 5 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.6 | 6.3 |
| Month rank | #11 | #5 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.6 | #11 | 46°F | 31°F | 4 | 5.5 | Low season |
| February | 6.4 | #4 | 50°F | 33°F | 4 | 5.8 | Low season |
| March | 6.4 | #3 | 57°F | 37°F | 6 | 6.6 | Low season |
| April | 6.1 | #7 | 65°F | 44°F | 7 | 7.5 | Moderate season |
| May | 6.4 | #2 | 71°F | 51°F | 9 | 8.1 | Moderate season |
| June | 6.2 | #6 | 79°F | 59°F | 8 | 8.2 | Busy season |
| July | 5.4 | #12 | 83°F | 62°F | 8 | 8.0 | Peak season |
| August | 5.6 | #10 | 82°F | 61°F | 8 | 8.0 | Peak season |
| September | 6.5 | #1 | 74°F | 55°F | 7 | 8.9 | Busy season |
| October | 6.0 | #9 | 64°F | 48°F | 9 | 7.3 | Moderate season |
| November | 6.1 | #8 | 53°F | 39°F | 7 | 5.5 | Low season |
| December | 6.3 | #5 | 47°F | 33°F | 5 | 5.7 | 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.
Lucerne & central Switzerlandabout 50 miles
Balanced Overall 5.0 · Fair weather, 42°F (6°C) · Moderate season · Cost expensive
Eastern Switzerland & GraubündenSwitzerland · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 3.9 · Fair weather, 40°F (4°C) · Busy season · Cost expensive
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 6.7 · Good weather, 48°F (9°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Venice & the VenetoItaly · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 3.6 · Poor weather, 48°F (9°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Lyon & the French AlpsRhône-Alpes · France · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 5.4 · Fair weather, 46°F (8°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Ticino's weather ranks 3 of 28 mountain regions this month. We found no mountain regions outside Switzerland with a weather score at least 1.0 point higher on these dates.
It's low season, 11% of the busiest month and 77% below its average month. That means about 2,700 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 60% of them from Switzerland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 720 more: 27 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 63 |
| How our weather was checked | 8 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 day | 8 |
| Busiest month here | July · 71 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.8% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 61st percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 60% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 27 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 0.9% |
| National hotel-price season | Switzerland historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+3% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 359,000 |
| Statistical region | CH07 · Ticino |
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.