Shanghai weather in January
In January, Shanghai has daytime highs averaging 8.3 °C, nights around 1.4 °C, with 8.2 wet days, and a sea temperature of 7.7 °C. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 8.3°C Average high
- 1.4°C Average low
- 8.2days Wet days
- 65mm Rainfall
- 7.7°C Sea temperature
- 10h Daylight
Daily temperatures through January
How January develops
Averages for the first, middle and last part of the month, from daily 1991–2020 normals. Chance of rain is the share of years in which that calendar day recorded more than 1 mm.
| Days | Avg high | Avg low | Chance of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 January | 8.9 °C | 2.0 °C | 25 % |
| 11–20 January | 8.1 °C | 1.4 °C | 31 % |
| 21–31 January | 8.0 °C | 0.8 °C | 24 % |
- Rain is most likely over days 11–20 of January (31 % of days) and least likely over days 21–31 (24 %).
What to expect
| Measure | Typical January | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 11 of 31 | 37 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 8.2 of 31 | 27 % |
Conditions in January
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 4.8 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 22 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | -8.5 °C |
| Relative humidity | 75 % |
| Wind speed | 18 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 60 % |
January compared with the months around it
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.3 °C | 65 mm | 60 % |
| February | 10.0 °C | 63 mm | 62 % |
| March | 13.8 °C | 96 mm | 66 % |
| November | 17.0 °C | 58 mm | 53 % |
| December | 10.9 °C | 45 mm | 50 % |
See all twelve months for Shanghai
- January is the 12th warmest month here.
- It is the 5th driest month of the year.
- It ranks 5th for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 10 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 8.2 of 31 days — 27 % of the month.
- Nights are about 6.9 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest January day on record since 1991 reached 22 °C, 13 °C above the usual daytime high.
Nearby destinations in January
| Destination | Avg high | Wet days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | 8.3 °C | 8.2 | 7.7 |
| Qibao | 8.5 °C | 8 | – |
| Baoshan | 7.9 °C | 8 | 7.7 |
| Songjiang | 8.7 °C | 9 | – |
| Qingpu | 8.6 °C | 9 | – |
| Nanqiao | 8.5 °C | 9 | 8.4 |
| Fengxiang | 8.3 °C | 9 | 8.4 |
| Chongming | 7.4 °C | 8 | 8.0 |
| Kunshan | 8.4 °C | 8 | – |
QuestionsJanuary in Shanghai, answered
How warm is Shanghai in January?
Daily highs average 8.3 °C and nights fall to about 1.4 °C, a spread of 6.9 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes January the 12th warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Shanghai in January?
January averages 65 mm of rain, spread over about 8 of the 31 days — 27 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 60 % of the sky.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in January?
The sea averages 7.7 °C off Shanghai in January. Most people find water below 20 °C bracing and above 25 °C comfortable for a long swim; this figure is a monthly surface average, so a sheltered bay on a still afternoon can be warmer.
How long are the days in January?
Shanghai averages 10 hours between sunrise and sunset in January. Day length is computed from latitude and date, so it is exact rather than modelled — but it says nothing about how much of that time is sunny.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: daylight hours, beach and comfort scores, monthly rankings, threshold day counts, chance of a wet day by date, ten-day averages within the month. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.