Murmansk weather in January
January in Murmansk: freezing, dry, with clean air — not the time — well below freezing.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#12 of 12 months in Murmansk · #1391 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 24/100 (tier F)
- Days
- -7°C
- Nights
- -16°C
- Wet days
- 8
- Sun
- 0.2 h
- Humidity
- 85%
- Daylight
- 2 h
Traveller notes on Murmansk in January
Forum posters describe the real deep cold in Murmansk as setting in by January, with temperatures capable of dropping to around -30C, and note that the city's coastal location adds humidity that makes the cold feel even more penetrating. Posters describe January as sitting within polar night, with days short or effectively nonexistent, though posters are quick to point out the city doesn't go fully dark - street lighting and snow reflection create a genuinely magical, if perpetually dim, atmosphere. Posters consistently rate January and February as the best months for aurora viewing here, thanks to the darker skies, with December through January also prime timing given the New Year holiday period. Posters generally recommend popular local activities like skiing, tubing and toboggans as good ways to spend daylight-scarce hours, and are direct that visiting in the depths of winter isn't any less safe than visiting in summer.
Other months in Murmansk
July in Murmansk is polar day — the record puts daylight at more than 23 hours — and the forum's answer on the aurora is blunt: there is no chance at all, because there is no night. Aurora season here runs September to early April, with October, February and March the months regulars name. What July offers instead is the polar day itself, which local operators run tours around, plus whale trips and the Teriberka coast, the Khibiny and the Lovozero tundra under continuous sun. Temperatures are mild for the latitude, 17°C by day and 10 overnight, with rain on thirteen days.
Add your own note from Murmansk's card on the map.
Murmansk climate normals — January
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Murmansk 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.
BusyNew Year holidays, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Murmansk'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 weatherMurmansk's weather peaks June–August, best around July.
January coincides with Blizzards and road closures.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Murmansk in January
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Festival
Sun Festival
11–25 Jan · usuallyMajor festivalThe sun comes back over the hills in the second week of January after six weeks away, and the city marks it — schoolchildren out on the Five Corners square, a ceremony at the amphitheatre. It is still barely above the horizon. Source ↗
- Nature
Aurora season
1 Sep – 10 Apr · usuallyWell inside the auroral oval, but the city's own light and the Barents cloud work against you — the trips run out to Teriberka or the Lovozero side to get away from both. Clear nights, not dark ones, are the constraint.
- Season
Blizzards and road closures
15 Nov – 15 Apr · usuallyExtreme coldClosuresThe wind off the Barents drifts the roads shut faster than the cold does; the Teriberka road and the Kola highway close for hours or days at a time in a storm. Any Arctic-coast plan here needs a spare day in it.
- Holiday
New Year holidays
31 Dec – 8 Jan · usuallyNational holidayClosuresBook earlyThe longest break of the Russian year: usually the first eight days of January or more are non-working. Offices, banks and many services close, while trains, flights and hotels fill with holidaying families at peak fares. Source ↗
- Nature
Polar night
About 2.3 hours of daylight a day in January; the light is the story, not the sights.
from the climate normals
- Season
Snow season
Ski seasonAbout 38 cm of snow falls in the month.
from the climate normals
Where is Murmansk?
Murmansk in January — FAQ
- Is January a good time to visit Murmansk?
- January in Murmansk: freezing, dry, with clean air — not the time — well below freezing. It ranks #12 of 12 months for Murmansk on SeasonMap's comfort score (24/100).
- What is the weather like in Murmansk in January?
- In January, Murmansk averages a daily high of -7.1°C and a low of -16.4°C, with about 28.2 mm of rain over roughly 8.3 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Murmansk in January?
- Murmansk has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 31 in January.
- Does it snow in Murmansk in January?
- Murmansk sees roughly 38 cm of snowfall in January.