WanderWhen

Istanbul weather in January

January is a challenging month to visit Istanbul — consider May–October instead. Expect highs around 9°C, lows near 4°C, and about 13.7 days with rain.

2.9 · Challengingtravel score for January
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg high
9°C
Avg low
4°C
Rainfall
107 mm
Rain days
13.7
Sunshine
5.5 h/day
Daylight
9.4 h

What to pack for Istanbul in January

  • a warm coat, hat and gloves
  • a compact umbrella or rain shell — rain is frequent
  • waterproof boots — snow is likely

Humidity averages 78%; max daily wind around 25 km/h. Snow falls on about 3.3 days.

How January compares

January: 2.9/10 JFebruary: 4.7/10 FMarch: 5.5/10 MApril: 8.7/10 AMay: 9.6/10 MJune: 9.9/10 JJuly: 9.1/10 JAugust: 9.1/10 ASeptember: 9.9/10 SOctober: 9.8/10 ONovember: 8.1/10 NDecember: 4.5/10 D

Best months in Istanbul: May–October. See the full best time to visit Istanbul guide.

Istanbul in January: the details

In January, Istanbul sees average daytime highs of 9°C (48°F) and overnight lows of 4°C (39°F). Rainfall totals roughly 107 mm across 13.7 rainy days, and the sun shines about 5.5 hours per day with 9.4 hours of daylight mid-month. Relative humidity averages 78%.

These figures are climate normals computed from the ERA5 weather reanalysis (2019–2024) for Istanbul, Turkey (41.01, 28.95) — see our methodology. Actual conditions vary year to year.

Where should you go next month?

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