Places to avoid in January

In January, 154 well-known destinations sit inside a hazard season: cyclone season in 18 (Kakadu, Nosy Be, Port Douglas and 15 more), monsoon in 32 (Kakadu, Yogyakarta, Singapore and 29 more), extreme cold in 18 (Winnipeg, Ulaanbaatar, Edmonton and 15 more) and flood season in 20 (Uluru, Hamburg, Cologne and 17 more). By the numbers, of 1,387 destinations, 93 feel like 35 °C or more in the afternoon, 282 have 18 or more rainy days, 56 have poor air and 103 sit well below freezing. 29 well-known places are at peak crowds and 6 are partly closed for the season.

Not a forecast: these are the seasons in which the risk exists, and the climate normals for the month. Most weeks pass quietly; the numbers say how often they do not.

Hazard seasons on in January

Curated, sourced windows — hurricane, typhoon and cyclone seasons, the monsoon, smoke, floods, smog. Well-known places first, the month's lowest scores at the top.

Cyclone season on

51 places

The southern-hemisphere storm season.

  1. Kakadu 🇦🇺 AustraliaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — Systems crossing the Top End coast bring days of torrential rain and wind rather than a direct blow. · instead July35
  2. Nosy Be 🇲🇬 MadagascarCyclone season, 15 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead July58
  3. Port Douglas 🇦🇺 AustraliaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — November to April brings the rain and the cyclone risk together. · instead September59
  4. Cairns 🇦🇺 AustraliaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — November to April is the cyclone half of the year. · instead October60
  5. Papeete 🇵🇫 French PolynesiaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — The wet season doubles as the cyclone window. · instead August63
  6. Antananarivo 🇲🇬 MadagascarCyclone season, 15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually) · instead September64

…and 45 more, 12 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Monsoon on

45 places

The wet season proper — heavy, daily, and the reason prices fall.

  1. Kakadu 🇦🇺 AustraliaMonsoon, 1 Nov – 31 May (usually) · instead July35
  2. Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 IndonesiaMonsoon, 1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually) — Long afternoon storms roll off Merapi and the Prambanan open-air stage moves indoors for the season. · instead July51
  3. Singapore 🇸🇬 SingaporeMonsoon, 1 Nov – 31 Jan (usually) · instead February54
  4. Nosy Be 🇲🇬 MadagascarMonsoon, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) — Heavy afternoon rain, dive visibility down and a good share of the smaller hotels closed until after Easter. · instead July58
  5. Livingstone 🇿🇲 ZambiaMonsoon, 15 Nov – 31 Mar (usually) — Afternoon storms and green bush. · instead June59
  6. Denpasar 🇮🇩 IndonesiaMonsoon, 1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually) · instead August60

…and 39 more, 26 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Extreme cold on

45 places

The weeks the city stops going outside — dzud, ice storms, minus thirty.

  1. Winnipeg 🇨🇦 CanadaExtreme cold, 15 Dec – 20 Feb (usually) · instead June28
  2. Ulaanbaatar 🇲🇳 MongoliaExtreme cold, 1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually) · instead June32
  3. Edmonton 🇨🇦 CanadaExtreme cold, 1 Dec – 28 Feb — Arctic air settles over the city for stretches of a week and extreme cold warnings become routine. · instead August34
  4. Toronto 🇨🇦 CanadaExtreme cold, 15 Dec – 28 Feb (usually) · instead September36
  5. Detroit 🇺🇸 United StatesExtreme cold, 10 Dec – 1 Mar (usually) — Two months of grey, freezing days with the wind coming off the lakes and a snow event most weeks. · instead September39
  6. Milwaukee 🇺🇸 United StatesExtreme cold, 5 Jan – 28 Feb (usually) · instead September39

…and 39 more, 12 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Flood season on

39 places

The river comes into the streets most years.

  1. Uluru 🇦🇺 AustraliaFlood season, 1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually) · instead July39
  2. Hamburg 🇩🇪 GermanyFlood season, 15 Sep – 31 Mar — The city counts its storm tide season from mid-September to the end of March. · instead August43
  3. Cologne 🇩🇪 GermanyFlood season, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead June48
  4. Foz do Iguaçu 🇧🇷 BrazilFlood season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually) · instead July51
  5. Jakarta 🇮🇩 IndonesiaFlood season, 1 Jan – 28 Feb (usually) — The peak of the wet season is also when the canals back up and whole districts go under for a day or two. · instead August51
  6. York 🇬🇧 United KingdomFlood season, 1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead August53

…and 33 more, 14 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Winter smog on

35 places

Coal smoke and a valley inversion; the air, not the cold, is the problem.

  1. Warsaw 🇵🇱 PolandWinter smog, 1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually) · instead June39
  2. Kraków 🇵🇱 PolandWinter smog, 1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually) · instead June41
  3. Beijing 🇨🇳 ChinaWinter smog, 15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead April48
  4. Belgrade 🇷🇸 SerbiaWinter smog, 1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually) · instead May54
  5. Xi'an 🇨🇳 ChinaWinter smog, 15 Nov – 28 Feb · instead April57
  6. Milan 🇮🇹 ItalyWinter smog, 15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead September60

…and 29 more, 7 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Dust season on

22 places

Spring dust and sandstorms; sensitive lungs stay in.

  1. Lanzarote 🇪🇸 SpainDust season, 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) · instead June82
  2. Fuerteventura 🇪🇸 SpainDust season, 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) · instead June84
  3. Las Palmas 🇪🇸 SpainDust season, 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) · instead May92
  4. Abidjan 🇨🇮 Côte d'IvoireDust season, 10 Dec – 15 Feb (usually) — Abidjan sits at the far southern edge of the harmattan. · instead August68
  5. Accra 🇬🇭 GhanaDust season, 5 Dec – 10 Feb (usually) · instead August68
  6. Lomé 🇹🇬 TogoDust season, 5 Dec – 15 Feb (usually) · instead August69

…and 16 more, all lesser-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Storm season on

19 places

Tornadoes, derechos, hail — the afternoons to watch the sky.

  1. Svolvær 🇳🇴 NorwayStorm season, 15 Oct – 15 Mar (usually) · instead July14
  2. Ålesund 🇳🇴 NorwayStorm season, 15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually) · instead July26
  3. Dingle 🇮🇪 IrelandStorm season, 15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually) — Named lows come in off the ocean from mid-autumn and the peninsula takes them first. · instead June40
  4. La Rochelle 🇫🇷 FranceStorm season, 1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead August42
  5. Tórshavn Faroe IslandsStorm season, 1 Oct – 31 Mar (usually) · instead July45
  6. Seattle 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead July52

…and 13 more, 6 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Smoke season on

17 places

Burning fields or forests; the air, not the weather, is the problem.

  1. San Carlos de Bariloche 🇦🇷 ArgentinaSmoke season, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead July14
  2. Ulaanbaatar 🇲🇳 MongoliaSmoke season, 1 Nov – 31 Mar · instead June32
  3. Almaty 🇰🇿 KazakhstanSmoke season, 15 Nov – 1 Mar (usually) — Coal heating and a valley inversion pin the smoke over the city for weeks at a time once the cold sets in. · instead September39
  4. Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United StatesSmoke season, 15 Dec – 20 Feb (usually) · instead May51
  5. Bangkok 🇹🇭 ThailandSmoke season, 25 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) — Agricultural fires north and west of the city put a lid of smoke over Bangkok through the late dry season. · instead December73
  6. Kathmandu 🇳🇵 NepalSmoke season, 15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually) · instead November76

…and 11 more, 9 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Avalanche season on

16 places

Backcountry and passes on forecast; the weeks the road closes after a dump.

  1. Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesAvalanche season, 15 Oct – 15 Jun (usually) — From mid-autumn into early summer steep snow slopes above popular trails such as Emerald Lake can slide. · instead August45
  2. Mestia 🇬🇪 GeorgiaAvalanche season, 15 Nov – 15 May (usually) · instead September49
  3. Fort William 🇬🇧 United KingdomAvalanche season, 15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) — The Lochaber forecast runs from mid-December to mid-April and covers Ben Nevis and the Aonachs. · instead May52
  4. Kazbegi 🇬🇪 GeorgiaAvalanche season, 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) · instead September60
  5. Berchtesgaden 🇩🇪 GermanyAvalanche season, 1 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) · instead September61
  6. Innsbruck 🇦🇹 AustriaAvalanche season, 1 Dec – 30 Apr (usually) · instead April68

…and 10 more, 9 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Extreme heat on

6 places

The weeks the city lives indoors.

  1. Uluru 🇦🇺 AustraliaExtreme heat, 1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually) · instead July39
  2. Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 ArgentinaExtreme heat, 1 Jan – 25 Feb (usually) — River-plate humidity on top of the heat, and the porteños who can afford to have gone to the coast. · instead October79
  3. Adelaide 🇦🇺 AustraliaExtreme heat, 15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually) · instead November85
  4. Alice Springs 🇦🇺 AustraliaExtreme heat, 1 Dec – 28 Feb · instead August55
  5. Asunción 🇵🇾 ParaguayExtreme heat, 1 Dec – 28 Feb (usually) · instead July57
  6. Hlane Royal National Park 🇸🇿 EswatiniExtreme heat, 1 Dec – 28 Feb · instead June68

Landslide season on

5 places

The hill roads slip and shut for days; getting there, not being there, is the problem.

  1. Big Sur 🇺🇸 United StatesLandslide season, 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) · instead August57
  2. Blantyre 🇲🇼 MalawiLandslide season, 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually) · instead August57
  3. Tilcara 🇦🇷 ArgentinaLandslide season, 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually) · instead August66
  4. Ouro Preto 🇧🇷 BrazilLandslide season, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead September68
  5. San Salvador de Jujuy 🇦🇷 ArgentinaLandslide season, 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually) · instead September72

Algae & red tide on

4 places

Blooms that close beaches and clear the water of fish for a few weeks; not the Caribbean weed.

  1. Clearwater 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Aug – 28 Feb (usually) · instead April70
  2. Sarasota 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Sep – 1 Mar (usually) · instead March74
  3. Naples, Florida 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Sep – 28 Feb (usually) — Blooms of Karenia brevis drift onto this coast most often between autumn and late winter. · instead April79
  4. Tampa 🇺🇸 United StatesAlgae & red tide, 1 Sep – 28 Feb (usually) · instead February84

Rip currents & big surf on

3 places

Red flags for weeks at a time; the calm-looking water is the one that pulls people out.

  1. Vík 🇮🇸 IcelandRip currents & big surf, 15 Sep – 30 Apr (usually) — The black beach kills people. · instead July17
  2. Palomino 🇨🇴 ColombiaRip currents & big surf, 1 Jan – 31 Dec · instead January71
  3. Raglan 🇳🇿 New ZealandRip currents & big surf, 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually) · instead February82

Out of range by the numbers

Every destination whose January normals cross a line the comfort score will not forgive: 18 or more rainy days, afternoons that feel like 35 °C, air in the poor band, or well below freezing. Worst first.

Too wet by the numbers

282 places

Eighteen or more rainy days, or a soaked month by volume — the real rainy season, not afternoon showers.

  1. Ollantaytambo 🇵🇪 Peru31 rainy days, 274 mm · instead July73
  2. Aguas Calientes 🇵🇪 Peru31 rainy days, 309 mm · instead July67
  3. Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador30 rainy days, 309 mm · instead August62
  4. Nosy Be 🇲🇬 Madagascar29 rainy days, 592 mm · instead July58
  5. Lombok 🇮🇩 Indonesia29 rainy days, 298 mm · instead August63
  6. Denpasar 🇮🇩 Indonesia29 rainy days, 366 mm · instead August60
  7. Nusa Penida 🇮🇩 Indonesia29 rainy days, 366 mm · instead August62
  8. Labuan Bajo 🇮🇩 Indonesia28 rainy days, 391 mm · instead August60

…and 274 more, 112 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Too hot by the numbers

93 places

Afternoons that feel like 35 °C or more, or heat the humidity turns sticky. A dry, sunny month cannot average this away.

  1. Foz do Iguaçu 🇧🇷 Brazil39°C afternoons · instead July51
  2. Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil38°C afternoons · instead September87
  3. Zanzibar 🇹🇿 Tanzania38°C afternoons · instead September84
  4. Acapulco 🇲🇽 Mexico37°C afternoons · instead April90
  5. Cartagena 🇨🇴 Colombia37°C afternoons · instead January91
  6. Ho Chi Minh City 🇻🇳 Vietnam37°C afternoons · instead February73
  7. Khao Lak 🇹🇭 Thailand37°C afternoons · instead February88
  8. Kochi 🇮🇳 India37°C afternoons · instead January75

…and 85 more, 31 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Too cold by the numbers

103 places

Afternoons that feel like −5 °C or below. Fine for a ski trip; not for walking a city.

  1. Churchill 🇨🇦 Canada-25°C afternoons · instead July30
  2. Ulaanbaatar 🇲🇳 Mongolia-19°C afternoons · instead June32
  3. Ilulissat 🇬🇱 Greenland-15°C afternoons · instead July24
  4. Leh 🇮🇳 India-15°C afternoons · instead August37
  5. Winnipeg 🇨🇦 Canada-14°C afternoons · instead June28
  6. Levi 🇫🇮 Finland-13°C afternoons · instead March68
  7. Killington 🇺🇸 United States-12°C afternoons · instead March80
  8. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 🇷🇺 Russia-12°C afternoons · instead July37

…and 95 more, 42 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Bad air by the numbers

56 places

A monthly mean air-quality index in the poor or unhealthy bands.

  1. Agra 🇮🇳 IndiaAQI 186, unhealthy air · instead February82
  2. Delhi 🇮🇳 IndiaAQI 186, unhealthy air · instead February80
  3. Kolkata 🇮🇳 IndiaAQI 184, unhealthy air · instead January92
  4. Varanasi 🇮🇳 IndiaAQI 176, unhealthy air · instead December86
  5. Beijing 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 169, unhealthy air · instead April48
  6. Mumbai 🇮🇳 IndiaAQI 159, unhealthy air · instead January85
  7. Chengdu 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 157, unhealthy air · instead April67
  8. Chongqing 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 154, unhealthy air · instead March67

…and 48 more, 20 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Peak crowds

29 places

The editor's peak month for the place: full, expensive, and booked well ahead.

  1. Goa 🇮🇳 IndiaPeak crowds — Christmas and New Year peak · instead January94
  2. Dubai 🇦🇪 United Arab EmiratesPeak crowds — Global Village season · instead January93
  3. Mexico City 🇲🇽 MexicoPeak crowds — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it · instead November92
  4. Cartagena 🇨🇴 ColombiaPeak crowds — Hay Festival Cartagena · instead January91
  5. Honolulu 🇺🇸 United StatesPeak crowds — Christmas and New Year · instead June90
  6. Nairobi 🇰🇪 KenyaPeak crowds — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it · instead August90
  7. Auckland 🇳🇿 New ZealandPeak crowds — Auckland Anniversary Day · instead March89
  8. Santiago 🇨🇱 ChilePeak crowds — Summer holidays in Chile · instead November89

…and 21 more, 21 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own January verdict.

Closed for the season

6 places

Hotels, lifts, ferries or the sights themselves shut for the month.

  1. Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentinasome of the town shuts for the month · instead October79
  2. Dubrovnik 🇭🇷 Croatiasome of the town shuts for the month · instead July52
  3. Hanoi 🇻🇳 Vietnamsome of the town shuts for the month · instead December79
  4. Osaka 🇯🇵 Japansome of the town shuts for the month · instead November69
  5. Santorini 🇬🇷 Greecesome of the town shuts for the month · instead September63
  6. Tokyo 🇯🇵 Japansome of the town shuts for the month · instead May67