Western WA’s gloomiest month isn’t over, but sunshine is finally on the way
Jan 12, 2026, 5:17 PM
Sun shines over morning frost during the winter. (Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
(Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images)
With January already near its halfway point, the month’s weather has been defined by grey skies, an influx of rainfall, and cold temperatures.
January is western Washington’s gloomiest month, according to WeatherSpark, as overcast skies occur approximately 71% of the time. Despite the days growing longer as we march into spring and summer, only about 70 hours of sunshine are seen in January on average, based on Weather and Climate data.
Jan. 25 is the first 5 p.m. sunset for 2026.
January also averages the most snow throughout western Washington for a single month, roughly 1.2 inches.
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Sun on tap this week in western WA
Despite being in the middle of western Washington’s “gloomiest” month, sun is scheduled to hit the region for most of this week.
Sunlight is expected to appear in five of the next six days, starting Tuesday. Only Wednesday, Jan. 14, is expected to be fully overcast, according to The Weather Channel.
Tuesday is expected to reach a high of 55, the highest temperature of the week. The rest of the week is likely to hover around the high 40s and low 50s. It’s also estimated to be a relatively dry week, with no rain expected until next Thursday, Jan. 22, kicking off five straight days of rain. An atmospheric river hit the region over the weekend, but has since tapered off Monday.
Some meteorologists are calling this brief, dry, warm stretch of weather a “false spring.” A false spring usually hits western Washington in March, when the region is flanked by a series of surprisingly warm, dry days before cold weather and rainy conditions return.
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