January 2026 brought cooler than average conditions to the Netherlands, with temperatures running notably below normal throughout the month. The average temperature across the country reached 2.4 degrees Celsius, sitting 1.2 degrees below the long-term average of 3.6 degrees. Despite the overall chill, there was considerable regional variation, with Maastricht in the south experiencing a mild peak of 12.6 degrees on January 17th, while Midden-Drenthe in the north plummeted to minus 11.2 degrees on January 11th, marking the month's coldest reading.
Precipitation levels remained relatively close to normal, with the country receiving an average of 83.8 millimeters compared to the typical 85.8 millimeters for January. This represents a modest 2 percent deficit from expected amounts. The wettest single day occurred on January 4th in Borger-Odoorn, where 23.3 millimeters of rain fell. When looking at cumulative monthly totals by location, Leeuwarden recorded the highest precipitation with 108.8 millimeters, indicating that northern regions experienced wetter conditions than the national average.
Sunshine proved to be one of the brighter aspects of the month, quite literally. The Netherlands enjoyed 114.6 hours of sunshine, exceeding the normal value of 112.0 hours by 2 percent. This slightly above-average sunshine helped offset some of the gloomier aspects of the winter month, providing occasional clear skies despite the cold temperatures.
Overall, January 2026 presented a typical winter picture for the Netherlands: cold, somewhat wet, but with enough sunshine to prevent it from being an entirely bleak month. The temperature anomaly of minus 1.2 degrees suggests a colder than usual January, though precipitation remained within normal bounds, making it a relatively unremarkable month from a weather perspective.