New York 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: April – October
What is the weather like in New York in January?
In January, New York is cold: daytime highs average 4 °C, and nights often drop below freezing (−4 °C). The sea averages 6.0 °C – swimming is only for the hardy. Expect around 6 hours of sunshine a day. Precipitation, often as snow, falls on about 9 days, totalling 83 mm. Snow falls on about 3 days. All in all, January is not an ideal month for a holiday in New York.
January compared
How the weather changes from December to February. Tap a month to open it.
| DecemberDec | JanuaryJan | FebruaryFeb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 24 | 27 | 30 |
| Day | 6° | 4° | 5° |
| Night | −1° | −4° | −4° |
| Sea | 9° | 6° | 4° |
| Sun | 5 h | 6 h | 6 h |
| Rain days | 10 | 9 | 9 |
More details for January
- Daylight
- 9 h 33 min07:18 – 16:51
- UV index
- 2 · lowclear sky, noon (estimate)
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or more
- Wind
- 19 km/haverage daily peak
- Cloud cover
- 57 %on average
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or more
- Snow days
- 3 days1 cm or more of fresh snow
- Time zone
- UTC−5America/New_York
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %0 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %43 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %62 %
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
New York in January: quick answers
Is New York hot in January?
No. In January, New York is cold: daytime highs average 4 °C and nights drop to about −4 °C.
Can you swim in New York in January?
Only if you don't mind cold water: in January the sea averages just 6.0 °C. Comfortable swimming is possible from July to September.
Does it rain much in New York in January?
Rain is frequent, with about 9 rainy days and 83 mm in total.
New York month by month
The whole year in New YorkAll destinations: USA
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)