Lucerne weather in January

Engelberg's forum calls January squarely within the best skiing window, roughly December through early March, when intermediate slopes are most likely to be in good condition across the region. Regulars point out Engelberg's edge: at least limited skiing on the Titlis glacier is essentially guaranteed regardless of how the season's natural snowfall is going elsewhere.

Forum posters describe March in Lucerne as genuinely unpredictable - sometimes cold and wet, sometimes dry and sunny - with fog no more common here than in Zurich or elsewhere in Switzerland, and no reliable way to predict conditions more than a day or two ahead. Posters cite typical lower-elevation temperatures ranging from 0 to 20C, with sun, fog, rain and even snow all realistic possibilities within the same week. Posters are consistent that by late March, snow is gone from the lake plain but still very present in the mountains, giving visitors a genuine choice: stay around Lucerne and the lake for a springlike feel, or head up to Titlis above Engelberg or Rigi for a proper winter scene. Posters generally recommend checking forecasts close to travel dates rather than planning weather-dependent activities too far in advance.

September is the forum's pick for Lucerne — the August crowds gone, a first crispness in the mountains, and weather at least as good as August as often as not. Days run about 20°C, evenings cooler, with one caveat the record supplies: rain falls on nearly fifteen days. Regulars call September "not especially rainy as a rule" while also warning it can go from fully sunny to fully wet inside a day, which is the more useful half of that. Pack layers, waterproof shoes and a rain jacket for the mountains, plus high-factor sun cream. Snow in Lucerne itself would be very unusual; Titlis has it year-round, being a glacier.