Every winter, Montrealers discover a passion for the weather. Here, talking about rain or shine isn’t a way of passing the time in the elevator with neighbors you vaguely dislike.
It’s not approximate, it’s not even an observation. You don’t point a gloved index finger at the sky and mumble “looks like it’s going to snow later” because you’ve run out of things to say on a first date. Winter weather in Montreal is serious business.
In fact, we don’t say it’s going to snow , we talk in terms of centimetres, consistency and traction against (winter) tires. We’re experts – that’s why, and only why, we can accurately predict the weather within the hour.
Of course, we end December 2025 with a weather forecast for January 2026…
Montreal weather forecast for January 2026
Winter -with a capital H- officially began on December 21, 2025 with the winter solstice, but the weather has been wintry (and rather chaotic) since the end of November.
We consulted the Farmer’s Almanac to see into the future, and according to this handy guide to the region’s weather, winter’s chaos has only just begun…
For Montreal, winter temperatures are forecast to be higher than normal – but be warned, they’ll be higher most of the time, but will drop very low during some very cold spells.
The coldest and snowiest periods (and lots and lots of snow is forecast) will be..;
- at the end of November
- all of December
- early January
- at the end of January
So, according to the Almanach, we’ve already gone through two periods of extreme cold and meteorological chaos in the Montreal winter.
But the beginning and end of January will be just as icy.
Temperatures, precipitation, winds et caetera…
Temperatures in January will generally be very low. The coldest day of the month will be Saturday, January 3. The forecast is for -21 degrees at night (with winds at 30km/h)… Brrrrrrr
It’s going to snow a lot during the first fortnight of January 2026, and according to Météo Média, the middle of the month will be a little sunnier. It will also be a little warmer, with highs between -8 and -10 degrees Celsius.
Fortunately, January averages are fairly faithful to seasonal normals. Temperatures between -4 and -11 degrees Celsius are forecast (felt from -8 to -18).
Météo Média is also forecasting 17.1mm of rain and 33.3cm of snow.
From January 1 to 12, it will be cold and – frankly – ugly. But from the 13th onwards, it will be a little milder. The end of the month looks more favorable for skiing, long walks in town and dates at the ice rink.
Happy January 2026 in Montreal, and have a great winter!