January is the second coldest month in Cyprus after February.
The temperature is much higher in comparison with the average in most other countries in Europe with the exception of the southern parts of Greece and Spain.
Usually January brings to the island a typical spring-like weather, mild and relatively changeable, with temperatures at noon reaching the pleasant 16 – 18°C.
In exceptional cases, the temperature reaches even 25°C or fall to about 9 – 10°C.
Winter nights are cool but not too cold with around 8°C on average.
According the climate statistics, January is the second rainiest month on the island after December, and the average rainfall is about 80.2 mm.
Due to the generally high temperatures in the coastal areas of Cyprus, the precipitation always falls in the form of rain and is usually quite intense but short-lived.
Snowfalls, although very rare, are still possible but they occur about once every ten years, and they usually fall away from the coast.
The situation in the mountains is quite different.
The average daytime temperature in January is usually about 0 – 2°C, much lower in comparison with Paphos and Limassol, and at night it often falls below zero.
For this reason, in the Troodos Mountains in January can form thick snow cover, which is good enough for skiing. In the big cities of Cyprus most likely is to snow in Nicosia, as the city is less influenced by the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
The sea water temperature in Cyprus in January is approximately 18°C but still continues to decrease.
In combination with the cool daytime air temperature on the island at this time of the year, the weather is not suitable for sunbathing and swimming.
However, if you decide to go to the beach, you probably will feel the weather pretty cold and certainly will not feel particularly comfortable even at noon.