January is one of the cooler months of the year in Dumfries, with average highs near 5°C and lows around 1.7°C (mean 3.4°C). It is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 124 mm of rainfall and 94% relative humidity across the period.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Dumfries. Across 45 years of records, the warmest January in Dumfries was 1989 — when the month averaged 5.9°C — while the coldest was 1985 at -0.4°C. Typical January days reach 5°C with nights near 1.7°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.3°C per decade.
January is a relatively wet time of year in Dumfries, averaging 124 mm of rainfall. The wettest January on record was 2008 with 229 mm, while the driest was 1997 at 28 mm.
Relative humidity in Dumfries during January averages 94%. The most humid January was 1982 at 96%, and the least humid was 1993 at 92%.
January receives about 0.6 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Dumfries. The sunniest Januarys were 1985, 2019 and 2023 at 0.7 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 2008 and 2016 at 0.4.
Average wind speed in Dumfries during January is 5 m/s. The windiest January was 1983 at 7.2 m/s, while the calmest was 1997 at 3 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 2.5°C | 3.5°C | 4.1°C | 3.1°C | 3.8°C | +1.3°C |
| Avg High | 4.2°C | 5.1°C | 5.8°C | 4.8°C | 5.5°C | +1.3°C |
| Avg Low | 0.8°C | 1.8°C | 2.4°C | 1.5°C | 2.2°C | +1.4°C |
| Avg Rain | 121 mm | 130 mm | 134 mm | 118 mm | 113 mm | -8 mm |
January temperatures in Dumfries have risen by about 1.4°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
January has ranged from a record low of -10.6°C (1982) to a record high of 11.2°C (2015).
Rainfall in January is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 124 mm, with a wettest year of 229 mm.
A quieter season to visit Dumfries
If your dates are flexible, the more temperate months of July and August tend to be the most comfortable for visiting Dumfries. That said, January — with days averaging 5°C and nights around 1.7°C (mean 3.4°C) and higher rainfall (124 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 | 5.0°C | 3.3°C | 1.7°C | 9.1°C | -2.6°C | 74 mm | 94% | 4 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2024 | 5.4°C | 3.6°C | 1.9°C | 10.5°C | -4.1°C | 145 mm | 94% | 4.8 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2023 | 6.2°C | 4.5°C | 2.8°C | 10.1°C | -2.6°C | 127 mm | 94% | 5 m/s | 0.7 |
| 2022 | 6.5°C | 4.7°C | 2.8°C | 10.8°C | -0.6°C | 58 mm | 94% | 4.6 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2021 | 3.1°C | 1.6°C | 0.2°C | 7.7°C | -3.9°C | 132 mm | 94% | 3.6 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2020 | 6.8°C | 5.2°C | 3.6°C | 10.4°C | -0.5°C | 140 mm | 94% | 5.4 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2019 | 4.9°C | 3.2°C | 1.5°C | 9.0°C | -2.0°C | 57 mm | 93% | 3.9 m/s | 0.7 |
| 2018 | 4.9°C | 3.4°C | 1.9°C | 9.7°C | -2.5°C | 139 mm | 95% | 5.1 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2017 | 5.6°C | 3.8°C | 2.0°C | 8.6°C | -1.4°C | 67 mm | 95% | 4.1 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2016 | 5.3°C | 3.7°C | 2.2°C | 10.3°C | -2.6°C | 196 mm | 94% | 5.2 m/s | 0.4 |
| 2015 | 5.4°C | 3.5°C | 1.6°C | 11.2°C | -1.2°C | 166 mm | 92% | 6.2 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2014 | 5.8°C | 4.3°C | 2.8°C | 8.2°C | -0.7°C | 154 mm | 94% | 5.1 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2013 | 4.3°C | 2.8°C | 1.4°C | 9.4°C | -3.3°C | 121 mm | 95% | 4.6 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2012 | 6.0°C | 4.1°C | 2.2°C | 9.7°C | -1.2°C | 102 mm | 93% | 5.3 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2011 | 3.7°C | 2.1°C | 0.4°C | 8.5°C | -4.0°C | 114 mm | 94% | 3.6 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2010 | 2.3°C | 0.6°C | -1.1°C | 7.0°C | -5.5°C | 68 mm | 95% | 4 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2009 | 4.4°C | 2.9°C | 1.4°C | 8.5°C | -3.3°C | 143 mm | 93% | 4.8 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2008 🌧️ | 6.2°C | 4.5°C | 2.9°C | 10.5°C | -2.2°C | 229 mm | 94% | 5.5 m/s | 0.4 |
| 2007 | 7.2°C | 5.4°C | 3.6°C | 10.5°C | -1.2°C | 156 mm | 93% | 6.5 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2006 | 5.7°C | 4.0°C | 2.3°C | 9.7°C | -0.8°C | 74 mm | 95% | 4 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2005 | 7.0°C | 5.0°C | 3.0°C | 10.2°C | -1.8°C | 138 mm | 93% | 6.6 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2004 | 5.8°C | 4.2°C | 2.6°C | 9.5°C | -1.7°C | 158 mm | 95% | 4.8 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2003 | 5.0°C | 3.3°C | 1.6°C | 10.6°C | -4.3°C | 115 mm | 94% | 5.4 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2002 | 6.7°C | 4.9°C | 3.1°C | 9.6°C | -2.5°C | 138 mm | 95% | 5.2 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2001 | 3.7°C | 2.3°C | 0.9°C | 6.9°C | -3.5°C | 66 mm | 95% | 3.9 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2000 | 6.0°C | 4.2°C | 2.4°C | 9.1°C | -0.7°C | 118 mm | 94% | 5 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1999 | 5.9°C | 4.2°C | 2.5°C | 9.1°C | -2.0°C | 178 mm | 94% | 5.3 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1998 | 5.6°C | 4.0°C | 2.4°C | 10.2°C | -1.3°C | 139 mm | 93% | 4.7 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1997 | 3.6°C | 2.0°C | 0.3°C | 7.8°C | -3.6°C | 28 mm | 96% | 3 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1996 | 4.3°C | 3.3°C | 2.2°C | 8.4°C | -3.8°C | 96 mm | 94% | 5.8 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1995 | 4.7°C | 2.8°C | 0.8°C | 8.9°C | -3.0°C | 165 mm | 93% | 5.9 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1994 | 4.8°C | 3.3°C | 1.7°C | 8.4°C | -1.7°C | 137 mm | 94% | 5.6 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1993 | 6.1°C | 4.0°C | 1.9°C | 9.6°C | -1.0°C | 185 mm | 92% | 7.1 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1992 | 5.1°C | 3.5°C | 1.9°C | 9.4°C | -1.7°C | 70 mm | 95% | 3.9 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1991 | 3.8°C | 2.1°C | 0.4°C | 9.6°C | -2.1°C | 115 mm | 93% | 4.9 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1990 | 7.0°C | 5.4°C | 3.7°C | 10.3°C | 0.8°C | 182 mm | 94% | 6.5 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1989 🔥 | 7.5°C | 5.9°C | 4.4°C | 9.8°C | 1.7°C | 115 mm | 94% | 5.9 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1988 | 5.2°C | 3.7°C | 2.1°C | 9.5°C | -0.4°C | 164 mm | 94% | 5.1 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1987 | 1.7°C | 0.2°C | -1.4°C | 7.4°C | -6.9°C | 49 mm | 93% | 3.6 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1986 | 3.5°C | 1.9°C | 0.3°C | 8.7°C | -4.2°C | 127 mm | 93% | 5.9 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1985 ❄️ | 1.4°C | -0.4°C | -2.2°C | 7.3°C | -8.8°C | 63 mm | 94% | 3.6 m/s | 0.7 |
| 1984 | 3.2°C | 1.3°C | -0.5°C | 9.4°C | -7.1°C | 173 mm | 92% | 5.9 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1983 | 6.3°C | 4.6°C | 2.9°C | 9.6°C | -2.3°C | 155 mm | 93% | 7.2 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 3.1°C | 1.5°C | -0.2°C | 8.9°C | -10.6°C | 141 mm | 96% | 4.3 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 5.5°C | 3.6°C | 1.6°C | 9.4°C | -2.0°C | 100 mm | 93% | 5.1 m/s | — |
Actual recorded January data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in January is around 5°C with lows near 1.7°C (mean 3.4°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
January averages 124 mm of rainfall in Dumfries, a relatively wet time of year. The wettest on record was 229 mm in 2008.
The hottest January reached 11.2°C in 2015. The coldest dipped to -10.6°C in 1982.
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 3.9°C to 5.2°C and overnight lows from 0.3°C to 1.9°C over the same span.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Dumfries and a relatively wet time of year, so plan for around 5°C daytime highs and 1.7°C at night.
Yes — January is the coldest month of the year in Dumfries, averaging 3.4°C.
For January in Dumfries, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 5°C and lows of 1.7°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in January averages 94% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in January is 5 m/s. The windiest January on record averaged 7.2 m/s (1983).
The wettest January on record was 2008 with 229 mm. On average, January sees 124 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 Dumfries 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.
