What to Wear in Montreal in January
Montreal in January: -5°C / 23°F afternoons, -14°C / 7°F nights, and a wind chill below -20 on about 16 days.
- Loden parka with a faux-fur-trimmed hood — the ruff breaks the west wind before it reaches your cheeks
- Navy wool snowflake sweater over sage merino — the high stays at or below freezing on 23 days
- Black insulated snow pants — Igloofest's own kit list asks for "Snow pants"
- Cognac leather snow boots with a shearling cuff — snow lies 5 cm or deeper on about 23 days
- Black insulated mittens — Igloofest puts it simply: "Mittens, it's warmer than gloves"
- Blaze-orange beanie and a heavy loden scarf — cover everything below the eyes when the wind chill passes -30
- Gloves — fingers kept apart lose heat that mittens hold on a -20 wind chill
- Shoes or sneakers — Igloofest's list says "Boots (no shoes please, boots!)"
- Jeans on a night at the pier — denim lets the wind through and soaks up melting snow
- A big bag at Igloofest — bags larger than 35 × 35 × 15.25 cm are refused, and there are no lockers
Pack for the wind. Environment and Climate Change Canada's figures for Montréal-Trudeau make January the city's coldest and snowiest month: a high of -5°C / 23°F, a low of -13.5°C and 52 cm of snow. The number that decides the suitcase is the wind chill, which falls below -20 on about 16 days, against 7 in December, and below -30 on 4 or 5. The high stays at or below freezing on 23 days, so nothing melts, and snow lies 5 cm deep or more on about 23. Then the city goes outside anyway. Igloofest fills the Jacques-Cartier Pier from 14 January 2027, and its rules say plainly that there are no lockers. So build around a hood with a ruff, snow pants, mittens, lined boots and a scarf you can pull over your nose.
Montreal's January is not colder than you expect. It is windier than you expect, and the city chooses this month to spend its evenings outside.
The capsule
01Dark loden insulated waterproof parka, faux-fur-trimmed hoodWind chill falls below -20 on about 16 January days at Trudeau, and the prevailing wind is from the west. A faux-fur ruff around the hood stands out in front of your face and breaks that wind before it reaches your cheeks, which a plain hood cannot do. The insulated loden shell reaches mid-thigh, and four flap pockets hold a card and a phone without a bag.
02Navy wool sweater with a white snowflake yokeOne heavy wool knit that can be the whole top half indoors. The navy body hides a day of salt spray, and the white snowflake yoke is what shows at the collar when the parka is open in the métro. Wool keeps its warmth when snow melts on the shoulders at a doorway, and it earns its place on the 23 days when the high never clears freezing.
03Sage merino long-sleeve base layerAbout 21 January nights fall below -10°C at Trudeau, and a thin merino crew is the warmth that costs nothing in bulk under a heavy knit and a parka sleeve. It stays warm if an hour of dancing on the pier leaves you damp. Sage shows at the cuffs against the navy and ties back to the loden parka.
04Black insulated waterproof snow pants, straight legIgloofest's own kit list asks for "Snow pants", and it is right. Denim lets a -14°C wind straight through and soaks up melting snow, while insulated waterproof snow pants keep the wind off your legs and shrug off snow when you sit on a bench or a snowbank. An internal gaiter at the hem closes over the boot so nothing gets in on the walk from the métro.
05Cognac-tan leather lace-up snow boots, shearling cuffSnow lies 5 cm or deeper on about 23 January days in Montreal, and Igloofest's list is blunt: "Boots (no shoes please, boots!)". These cognac leather boots lace over the ankle, grip packed snow with a deep lug and close at the top with a cream shearling cuff. Pack a second pair of wool socks; the festival's guide says to.
06Black insulated mittens, leather palm, gauntlet cuffMittens, not gloves. Igloofest's guide says "Mittens, it's warmer than gloves", and on a -20 wind chill your fingers share heat inside one shell instead of losing it separately. A leather palm grips a railing on an icy walkway, and the long gauntlet cuff pulls over the parka sleeve so no wrist shows between songs.
07Blaze-orange ribbed wool beanieWear it under the hood. A dense ribbed beanie with a folded cuff doubles the wool over your ears, so you can push the hood back on the métro platform and stay warm. Blaze orange is also the easiest colour to find in a crowd of dark parkas after dark, and it nods to the neon snowsuits that win Igloofest's Iglooswag contest.
08Loden green heavy wool scarfIgloofest asks for a "Scarf or neckerchief to cover your beautiful face", and at a -30 wind chill that is not a joke. A wide, heavy wool scarf wound twice pulls up over your nose and chin under the ruff, which is the only skin the parka and beanie leave out. Loden green matches the parka, so the orange hat stays the only loud note.
Day to night
Sage merino under the navy snowflake sweater · black snow pants · cognac snow boots · loden parka open, hood down · orange beanie · mittens in the pockets. The Plateau and Mile End on foot at ten, then down into the métro before the wind picks up.
Same layers · parka zipped, fur-trimmed hood up over the beanie · loden scarf over the nose · black mittens on · a spare pair of socks in a parka pocket. Igloofest on the Jacques-Cartier Pier from 7:30pm, dark since about 4:36pm, and heading for -14°C / 7°F by the last set.
A suggested look — dark loden parka with a faux-fur hood, blaze orange ribbed beanie, loden green wool scarf, black insulated mittens, black snow pants.
What to avoid
- Gloves — wind chill falls below -20 on about 16 days
- Shoes or sneakers — snow lies 5 cm or deeper on about 23 days
- Jeans for an evening outdoors — denim lets the wind through and soaks up snowmelt
- A big bag at Igloofest — over 35 × 35 × 15.25 cm is refused, and there are no lockers
- Shopping on 1 January — Québec shops are closed until the 2nd
Frequently asked questions
Montreal's coldest and snowiest month. Environment and Climate Change Canada's figures for Montréal-Trudeau give January an average high of -5.0°C / 23°F and a low of -13.5°C, with 52 cm of snow over about 15 days and 32.8 mm of rain. The high stays at or below freezing on 23 days, the low drops below -10°C on about 21 nights and below -20°C on about 7, and the wind chill falls below -20 on about 16 days. Snow depth averages 10 cm. Daylight grows from 8h 46m on 1 January to 9h 42m on the 31st.
A dark loden insulated parka with a faux-fur-trimmed hood, a navy wool sweater with a white snowflake yoke, a sage merino base layer, black insulated snow pants, cognac-tan leather snow boots with a shearling cuff, black insulated mittens, a blaze-orange ribbed beanie and a heavy loden green wool scarf. Add a second pair of wool socks. That covers a -5°C / 23°F afternoon in the Plateau, a métro ride with the parka open and four hours at Igloofest heading for -14°C / 7°F. Leave gloves, shoes and jeans at home.
Everything you own, all night. Igloofest runs in the Old Port from 14 January to 6 February 2027 on the Jacques-Cartier Pier, for ages 18 and up, and its rules list evenings from 7:30pm to 11pm on Thursdays and to 12:30am on Fridays and Saturdays. "There is no locker room or place to place items in lockers", and bags larger than 35 × 35 × 15.25 cm are refused. The festival's own kit list covers the rest: a warm windbreaker coat, "Snow pants", a toque, mittens, boots and a scarf over your face. Its Iglooswag contest has rewarded neon snowsuits and retro ski goggles.
Late January, if Igloofest is the reason; early January, if you want quiet streets and no festival crowds. Igloofest opens on 14 January 2027 and runs Thursday to Saturday evenings into February. Shops close on Friday 1 January and reopen on normal hours on Saturday 2 January. Daylight grows by almost an hour across the month, from 8h 46m on the 1st to 9h 42m on the 31st, with sunset moving from 4:21pm to 4:58pm. The cold does not ease inside the month: January is Montreal's coldest on Environment and Climate Change Canada's figures, so pack the same kit either way.
January is about four degrees colder and noticeably windier. Our December guide works from -1°C / 30°F afternoons and -9°C / 16°F nights; Environment and Climate Change Canada's Montréal-Trudeau figures put January at -5°C / 23°F and -14°C / 7°F, with 52 cm of snow against December's 48.2. The bigger change is wind chill: below -20 on about 16 days instead of 7, and below -30 on 4.5 instead of fewer than one. That is why December's black down parka and toque give way here to a hood with a fur-trimmed ruff, snow pants, mittens and a scarf that covers your face.
Down and leather outerwear designed in the city, and boots with real soles. Mackage was founded in Montreal in 1999 by Eran Elfassy and Elisa Dahan as a brand of high-end women's outerwear in leather, down and wool, and its collections are still designed in its Chabanel Street offices, according to the McCord Stewart Museum. Pajar was founded in Montreal in 1963 by Paul Golbert to make shoes for women, men and children, and won an Excellence prize at the Foire de la Botte in 1992. On a January street that means a hooded parka zipped to the chin, lined boots and mittens rather than gloves.
Sources
- Environment and Climate Change Canada — 1991–2020 climate normals, Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) station
- Environment and Climate Change Canada — Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020, Montréal-Trudeau (Climate ID 7025250/7025251) — accessed 2026-09-26
- Igloofest Montréal — 2027 edition, Old Montreal, 14 January – 6 February 2027 — accessed 2026-09-27
- Igloofest Montréal — Rules and FAQ (18+, Jacques-Cartier Pier, hours, no lockers, bag size limit) — accessed 2026-09-27
- Igloofest Montréal — Perfect winter warrior kit (21 January 2026) — accessed 2026-09-27
- Igloofest Montréal — Iglooswag contest 2026 (themes include neon snowsuits and retro ski goggles) — accessed 2026-09-27
- Gouvernement du Québec — Opening hours of shops on public holidays, 2026–2027 — accessed 2026-09-26
- McCord Stewart Museum, EncycloFashionQC — Mackage (Montreal, 1999, Eran Elfassy and Elisa Dahan) — accessed 2026-09-27
- McCord Stewart Museum, EncycloFashionQC — Pajar (Montréal, 1963, Paul Golbert; French-language entry) — accessed 2026-09-27
