Kos weather in January

January in Kos: cool, soaked, with clean air — a gamble, with 14 rainy days.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Kos🇬🇷 Greece · Greece & Cyprus · Island54
  1. 54Jan
  2. 65Feb
  3. 72Mar
  4. 78Apr
  5. 83May
  6. 91Jun
  7. 88Jul
  8. 90Aug
  9. 93Sep
  10. 87Oct
  11. 70Nov
  12. 57Dec

#12 of 12 months in Kos · #1070 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 54/100 (tier D)

Days
15°C
Nights
11°C
Wet days
14
Sun
7.9 h
Humidity
67%
Daylight
10 h
Kos, Greece
Photo: Wolfgang Weiser · Pexels

Traveller notes on Kos in January

Notes from nearby Bodrum (20 km away)

Kos doesn't have its own notes for January yet — these are about Bodrum, close enough to share the season.

Bodrum-forum threads asking about the off-season are candid that January is genuinely quiet - both the town and the weather. Posters split into two camps: some call it a fairly grim, grey, wet month not worth the trip, while others say plainly they love Bodrum in winter, mentioning a late-December-into-January stay they'd happily repeat. What both camps agree on: daytime temperatures stay mild enough for a coat-and-scarf walk around Bodrum Castle, even if evenings turn properly chilly and the wind off the sea adds a real bite. Regulars call the castle museum and town-center shopping solid options regardless of the sky, since neither depends on beach weather. The overall framing is realistic rather than discouraging: expect grey skies and occasional rain, plan indoor-friendly activities as backup. The record: 15.8C days feeling like 13C, 9.7C nights, a notably high 193mm across 13.6 days, a 18.3C sea, 70 percent humidity and 7.6 hours of sun.
BodrumCastleJanuaryRegular · January · 1 month ago · about Bodrum · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Other months in Kos

Forum posters describe March in Kos as genuinely unpredictable but still mild overall, sitting outside the reliably hot, dry stretch that runs roughly June through early October. Posters note showers this time of year can affect one side of the island while leaving another completely dry, reflecting how localized spring weather patterns can be here. Posters consistently recommend packing layers and a light raincoat for a March visit, ready for both sunny stretches and passing rain within the same trip. Posters generally rate March as a mild, changeable shoulder-season month for Kos, well ahead of the settled summer heat but past the harshest of the Aegean winter.
Tripadvisor community · March · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
September is the month Kos regulars call the best of the year — 25 to 30°C, the sea still at 27°C, everything open, and nowhere near July and August's crowds. Evenings want a cardigan. The thing to understand about the wind is that it is directional rather than seasonal: the meltemi is a northerly running June to about mid-September, so it hits the north coast hardest — Tigaki and Mastihari especially — and the forum's fix is simply to switch sides of the island, Kardamena being the usual suggestion. Kos reads breezy year-round on the monthly averages, but an average smooths over exactly the local, directional effect regulars are describing, so take the coast advice over the number. In the heat most people count it a cooling breeze rather than a problem.
Tripadvisor community · September · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Add your own note from Kos's card on the map.

Kos climate normals — January

Daytime high15°C / 59°F🙂 cool
Nighttime low11°C / 51°F
Feels like (high)11°C / 52°F
Sea temperature19°C / 66°F🧊 bracing
Rainfall196 mm / 7.7 in⛈ soaked
Rainy days14 days
Humidity67%💧 humid
Dew point7°C / 45°F
Sunshine7.9 h/day
Daylight10 h
Wind36 km/h / 22 mph
Air quality (US AQI)43🍃 good

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Kos in January

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

BusyChristmas holidays in Greece, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it(estimated)

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Kos's weather

Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).

Toughest weatherKos's best weather comes in June, August and September — separate windows, not one continuous season.

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Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather

What's on in Kos in January

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Season

    Winter shutdown

    1 Nov – 31 MarOff-season shutdownClosures

    The resort strips are shuttered and the island shrinks back to Kos town, where enough stays open for the locals. Ruins and the Asklepieion are yours, and the bike lanes are empty.

What's on around the world in January →

Nearby, and something's on

Within 300 km of Kos — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.

Where is Kos?

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Kos in January — FAQ

Is January a good time to visit Kos?
January in Kos: cool, soaked, with clean air — a gamble, with 14 rainy days. It ranks #12 of 12 months for Kos on SeasonMap's comfort score (54/100).
What is the weather like in Kos in January?
In January, Kos averages a daily high of 15.2°C and a low of 10.5°C, with about 195.6 mm of rain over roughly 14.2 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Kos in January?
Kos has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 43 in January.

Within 300 km: Selçuk's Efes Camel Wrestling Festival on 18 Jan, and Heraklion's Olive harvest around 1 Nov – 31 Jan.