Chennai weather in January
In January, Chennai has an average high of 28 °C82 °F and an average low of 21 °C69 °F, with about 17 mm0.7 in of precipitation. January is the coldest month of the year and ranks 10th for precipitation.
How January compares with other months
Compared with December, January is about the same temperature and drier by 109 mm4.3 in. Compared with February, January is 1.5 °C2.7 °F cooler on average and wetter by 11 mm0.4 in. Daylight lasts about 11.4 hours around the middle of the month. Average relative humidity is 77% and the average cloud amount 36%.
Is January a good time to visit Chennai?
Yes — January is one of the most comfortable months to visit Chennai by our comfort score, which favours average highs of 21–28 °C, lows above 5 °C, little rain and moderate humidity.
What to wear in January
For Chennai in January, pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
January in nearby places
| Place | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai | 2882 | 2169 | 170.7 |
| Pallavaram | 2882 | 2169 | 170.7 |
| Kanchipuram | 2781 | 2068 | 170.7 |
| Tirupati | 2984 | 1763 | 100.4 |
| Vellore | 2983 | 1762 | 120.5 |
| Chittoor | 2882 | 1660 | 120.5 |
| Puducherry | 2781 | 2373 | 180.7 |
| Nellore | 2781 | 2169 | 120.5 |
| Tiruvannamalai | 2883 | 1864 | 150.6 |
Nearby places that are more than 1 °C1.8 °F cooler: Tirupati, Vellore, Chittoor and Tiruvannamalai.
Other months in Chennai
- January28 °C82 °F / 21 °C69 °F
- February30 °C87 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- March34 °C93 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- April36 °C96 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- May36 °C97 °F / 27 °C81 °F
- June35 °C95 °F / 27 °C80 °F
- July34 °C93 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- August33 °C91 °F / 25 °C78 °F
- September32 °C89 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- October30 °C87 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- November29 °C83 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- December27 °C81 °F / 22 °C71 °F
Frequently asked questions
How warm is Chennai in January?
In January the average high in Chennai is 28 °C (82 °F) and the average low is 21 °C (69 °F).
Does it rain a lot in Chennai in January?
On average about 17 mm (0.7 in) of precipitation falls in January; it ranks 10th of the 12 months.
Is January the warmest month in Chennai?
No. The warmest month in Chennai is May, with an average high of 36 °C (97 °F). The coldest month is January, with an average low of 21 °C (69 °F).
How long is the day in Chennai in January?
In the middle of January the day in Chennai lasts about 11.4 hours from sunrise to sunset. The value is calculated from the position of the city and the sun.
How humid is Chennai in January?
The average relative humidity in January is about 77%. Combined with warm days, it can feel muggy.
How cloudy is Chennai in January?
On average about 36% of the sky is covered by cloud in January. This is the mean cloud amount from satellite data, not the number of sunny days.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.