January is one of the cooler months of the year in Dover, with average highs near 7.4°C and lows around 4.6°C (mean 6°C). It is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 76 mm of rainfall and 87% relative humidity across the period.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Dover. Across 45 years of records, the warmest January in Dover was 2007 — when the month averaged 8.6°C — while the coldest was 1987 at 1.4°C. Typical January days reach 7.4°C with nights near 4.6°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.3°C per decade.
January is a relatively wet time of year in Dover, averaging 76 mm of rainfall. The wettest January on record was 1988 with 147 mm, while the driest was 1997 at 13 mm.
Relative humidity in Dover during January averages 87%. The most humid January was 1997 at 92%, and the least humid were 1987 and 2024 at 85%.
January receives about 0.8 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Dover. The sunniest Januarys were 1989 and 1992 at 1 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest was 1987 at 0.6.
Average wind speed in Dover during January is 6.6 m/s. The windiest January was 1995 at 8.3 m/s, while the calmest was 1997 at 5 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 5.0°C | 6.0°C | 6.4°C | 6.1°C | 6.6°C | +1.6°C |
| Avg High | 6.5°C | 7.4°C | 7.7°C | 7.4°C | 8.0°C | +1.5°C |
| Avg Low | 3.6°C | 4.6°C | 5.1°C | 4.8°C | 5.3°C | +1.7°C |
| Avg Rain | 79 mm | 69 mm | 66 mm | 84 mm | 86 mm | +7 mm |
January temperatures in Dover have risen by about 1.4°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
January has ranged from a record low of -6.5°C (1987) to a record high of 13.2°C (2007).
Rainfall in January is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 76 mm, with a wettest year of 147 mm.
A quieter season to visit Dover
If your dates are flexible, the more temperate months of August and July tend to be the most comfortable for visiting Dover. That said, January — with days averaging 7.4°C and nights around 4.6°C (mean 6°C) and moderate rainfall (76 mm) — can still be rewarding for travellers who don't mind the cooler conditions, and often means fewer crowds.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7.2°C | 5.8°C | 4.4°C | 11.8°C | 2.0°C | 103 mm | 86% | 5.5 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2024 | 7.9°C | 6.4°C | 5.0°C | 12.9°C | 1.1°C | 66 mm | 85% | 7 m/s | 0.9 |
| 2023 | 8.8°C | 7.4°C | 6.1°C | 12.2°C | 1.8°C | 108 mm | 86% | 6.9 m/s | 0.9 |
| 2022 | 8.2°C | 6.7°C | 5.3°C | 11.8°C | 2.5°C | 42 mm | 87% | 5.2 m/s | 0.9 |
| 2021 | 6.9°C | 5.6°C | 4.3°C | 11.1°C | 1.2°C | 134 mm | 88% | 6 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2020 | 9.2°C | 7.9°C | 6.5°C | 12.5°C | 4.0°C | 64 mm | 89% | 6.4 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2019 | 6.9°C | 5.7°C | 4.4°C | 10.4°C | 1.5°C | 46 mm | 86% | 5.9 m/s | 0.9 |
| 2018 | 8.9°C | 7.4°C | 5.9°C | 12.0°C | 3.1°C | 105 mm | 88% | 7.1 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2017 | 6.2°C | 4.8°C | 3.4°C | 10.0°C | -1.7°C | 75 mm | 86% | 5.2 m/s | 0.9 |
| 2016 | 8.7°C | 7.4°C | 6.1°C | 11.6°C | 1.0°C | 138 mm | 85% | 7.4 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2015 | 8.1°C | 6.5°C | 4.8°C | 12.4°C | 2.0°C | 119 mm | 85% | 7.2 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2014 | 9.2°C | 7.9°C | 6.7°C | 11.9°C | 4.2°C | 100 mm | 88% | 7.4 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2013 | 6.4°C | 5.3°C | 4.2°C | 11.3°C | -0.9°C | 56 mm | 88% | 5.9 m/s | 0.7 |
| 2012 | 8.6°C | 7.1°C | 5.7°C | 12.0°C | 0.7°C | 55 mm | 86% | 6.4 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2011 | 6.4°C | 5.3°C | 4.1°C | 10.0°C | 0.8°C | 81 mm | 89% | 6.1 m/s | 0.7 |
| 2010 | 4.6°C | 3.5°C | 2.3°C | 7.6°C | 0.4°C | 61 mm | 86% | 5.2 m/s | 0.7 |
| 2009 | 5.7°C | 4.3°C | 2.9°C | 9.4°C | -1.4°C | 67 mm | 86% | 6 m/s | 0.9 |
| 2008 | 9.5°C | 8.1°C | 6.7°C | 11.5°C | 1.0°C | 87 mm | 88% | 8 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2007 🔥 | 9.9°C | 8.6°C | 7.2°C | 13.2°C | 1.7°C | 65 mm | 87% | 8.1 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2006 | 6.5°C | 5.3°C | 4.1°C | 9.8°C | -0.1°C | 29 mm | 87% | 5.8 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2005 | 8.6°C | 7.3°C | 6.0°C | 11.4°C | 2.8°C | 40 mm | 86% | 7.5 m/s | 0.9 |
| 2004 | 8.2°C | 6.7°C | 5.3°C | 11.7°C | 0.6°C | 105 mm | 88% | 7.1 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2003 | 7.2°C | 5.8°C | 4.3°C | 12.1°C | -0.3°C | 75 mm | 87% | 7.2 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2002 | 7.7°C | 6.4°C | 5.1°C | 11.2°C | -1.2°C | 59 mm | 91% | 6.6 m/s | 0.8 |
| 2001 | 6.6°C | 5.4°C | 4.2°C | 10.4°C | 0.5°C | 108 mm | 87% | 6.3 m/s | 0.9 |
| 2000 | 7.5°C | 6.4°C | 5.2°C | 10.4°C | 2.4°C | 29 mm | 88% | 6.1 m/s | 0.9 |
| 1999 | 8.7°C | 7.4°C | 6.0°C | 11.8°C | 2.0°C | 87 mm | 87% | 7.2 m/s | 0.9 |
| 1998 | 8.4°C | 6.8°C | 5.3°C | 11.6°C | 1.2°C | 86 mm | 86% | 7.6 m/s | 0.8 |
| 1997 | 3.4°C | 2.3°C | 1.1°C | 6.8°C | -3.8°C | 13 mm | 92% | 5 m/s | 0.8 |
| 1996 | 6.2°C | 5.1°C | 3.9°C | 10.0°C | -2.1°C | 44 mm | 92% | 6.2 m/s | 0.7 |
| 1995 | 8.4°C | 6.6°C | 4.8°C | 10.9°C | 0.9°C | 134 mm | 88% | 8.3 m/s | 0.8 |
| 1994 | 8.2°C | 6.6°C | 5.0°C | 11.3°C | 2.0°C | 91 mm | 89% | 7.4 m/s | 0.8 |
| 1993 | 8.6°C | 6.9°C | 5.2°C | 12.2°C | -1.2°C | 63 mm | 88% | 7.3 m/s | 0.7 |
| 1992 | 6.3°C | 5.1°C | 3.9°C | 10.1°C | 0.0°C | 19 mm | 87% | 5.4 m/s | 1 |
| 1991 | 6.8°C | 5.6°C | 4.4°C | 11.6°C | 0.5°C | 66 mm | 85% | 6.6 m/s | 0.9 |
| 1990 | 8.9°C | 7.5°C | 6.2°C | 11.3°C | 3.1°C | 83 mm | 90% | 7.4 m/s | 0.9 |
| 1989 | 8.3°C | 6.9°C | 5.5°C | 10.1°C | 1.7°C | 31 mm | 88% | 5.1 m/s | 1 |
| 1988 🌧️ | 8.6°C | 7.2°C | 5.9°C | 11.5°C | 3.1°C | 147 mm | 89% | 7.3 m/s | 0.8 |
| 1987 ❄️ | 2.6°C | 1.4°C | 0.2°C | 10.6°C | -6.5°C | 37 mm | 85% | 5.4 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1986 | 6.5°C | 5.0°C | 3.6°C | 10.2°C | 0.7°C | 109 mm | 87% | 7.9 m/s | 0.8 |
| 1985 | 3.9°C | 2.4°C | 0.9°C | 9.5°C | -5.2°C | 74 mm | 86% | 6.3 m/s | 0.9 |
| 1984 | 7.4°C | 5.7°C | 4.0°C | 11.1°C | 1.7°C | 126 mm | 85% | 8 m/s | 0.8 |
| 1983 | 8.8°C | 7.1°C | 5.4°C | 11.2°C | 1.5°C | 63 mm | 88% | 7.8 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 5.4°C | 4.0°C | 2.7°C | 10.0°C | -3.9°C | 71 mm | 90% | 6.1 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 7.1°C | 5.6°C | 4.1°C | 9.9°C | 0.9°C | 56 mm | 88% | 6 m/s | — |
Actual recorded January data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in January is around 7.4°C with lows near 4.6°C (mean 6°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
January averages 76 mm of rainfall in Dover, a relatively wet time of year. The wettest on record was 147 mm in 1988.
The hottest January reached 13.2°C in 2007. The coldest dipped to -6.5°C in 1987.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average January temperatures have risen by about 1.4°C. Daytime highs moved from 6.5°C to 7.8°C and overnight lows from 3.4°C to 5°C over the same span.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Dover and a relatively wet time of year, so plan for around 7.4°C daytime highs and 4.6°C at night.
Not quite — January is the 2nd coolest month in Dover, averaging 6°C.
For January in Dover, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 7.4°C and lows of 4.6°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in January averages 87% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in January is 6.6 m/s. The windiest January on record averaged 8.3 m/s (1995).
The wettest January on record was 1988 with 147 mm. On average, January sees 76 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Dover behaves each January, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for January specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
