Boston weather in January
Temperature, sea and sunshine in January: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.
Holiday weather in January
Poor
Best time to visit: May – September
What is the weather like in Boston in January?
In January, Boston is freezing cold: daytime highs average 2 °C, and nights often drop below freezing (−5 °C). The sea averages 5.2 °C – swimming is only for the hardy. Expect around 5 hours of sunshine a day. Precipitation, often as snow, falls on about 10 days, totalling 99 mm. Snow falls on about 5 days. All in all, January is not an ideal month for a holiday in Boston.
January compared
How the weather changes from December to February. Tap a month to open it.
| DecemberDec | JanuaryJan | FebruaryFeb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 18 | 22 | 26 |
| Day | 5° | 2° | 4° |
| Night | −1° | −5° | −4° |
| Sea | 8° | 5° | 4° |
| Sun | 4 h | 5 h | 5 h |
| Rain days | 11 | 10 | 9 |
More details for January
- Daylight
- 9 h 24 min07:11 – 16:35
- UV index
- 1 · lowclear sky, noon (estimate)All months
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or moreAll months
- Wind
- 24 km/haverage daily peakAll months
- Cloud cover
- 57 %on averageAll months
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or moreAll months
- Snow days
- 5 days1 cm or more of fresh snowAll months
- Time zone
- UTC−5America/New_York
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %0 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %25 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %56 %
Each factor is rated from 0 to 100 % and weighted for the travel style “City break”.
What to pack in January
- Warm jacket
- Hat, scarf & gloves
- Rain jacket or umbrella
Boston in January: quick answers
Is Boston hot in January?
No. In January, Boston is freezing cold: daytime highs average 2 °C and nights drop to about −5 °C.
Can you swim in Boston in January?
Only if you don't mind cold water: in January the sea averages just 5.2 °C. Comfortable swimming temperatures are not reached at any time of year.
Does it rain much in Boston in January?
Rain is frequent, with about 10 rainy days and 99 mm in total.
Boston month by month
The whole year in BostonAll destinations: USAWhere to go in JanuarySea temperature in January
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sources & licences