January 4° · ☂ 9 February 6° · ☂ 8 March 10° · ☂ 9 April 17° · ☂ 9 May 22° · ☂ 10 June 27° · ☂ 9 July 30° · ☂ 10 August 29° · ☂ 8 ★ September25° · ☂ 7 October 18° · ☂ 8 November 12° · ☂ 7 December 7° · ☂ 10 New York in January:properly cold, occasional rain New York, United States · Records from 2006 to 2025. Not a forecast.
Mean high 4° Hottest day 20.5° (2007)
Mean low −2° Coldest night −17.6° (2018)
Rain days 9 days 4-14 by year
Rainfall 89mm Daylight 9.3 → 10.1 h
New York's 12 months i Best: September
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Trip types Sightseeing on foot Poorcold
Humidity 68% 0 muggy days
Clear days 7 days 9 overcast days
Mean wind 13 km/h Rarely windy
Sunrise / sunset (15th) 07:18 / 16:52 Daylight 9.3 → 10.1 h
New York in January Deep winter, and cold snaps can ice over subway steps and sidewalks. The holiday crowds are gone and winter sales are on, so shopping is good. It is a snowy month, so a down coat, gloves and a scarf are essential.
January was properly cold: 4°C by day and −2°C at night. Out of 31 days, about 9 brought rain; the rest stayed dry. The driest year, 2016, had 4 rain days; the wettest, 2017, had 14.
Days were short. Daylight grew from 9.3 to 10.1 hours across the month, so plan outdoor sights early. 19 nights a month dropped below freezing on average. Gloves earned their place for early starts. Not every year was typical: 2023 ran 4.3°C warmer than the mean, with highs of 8.6°C. The lowest night on record was −17.6°C in 2018.
Hurricanes i Hurricanes: July to October
Date by date i Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Week
January 1 Friday 1 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 6° 1° January 2 Saturday 2 rain in 7 of 20 yrs 7/20 6° −1° 1-2 rain on 38% of days 6° 0°
January 3 Sunday 3 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 3° −2° January 4 Monday 4 rain in 5 of 20 yrs 5/20 5° −2° January 5 Tuesday 5 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 5° −1° January 6 Wednesday 6 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 5° −1° January 7 Thursday 7 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 4° −2° January 8 Friday 8 rain in 2 of 20 yrs 2/20 3° −3° January 9 Saturday 9 rain in 4 of 20 yrs 4/20 5° −2° 3-9 rain on 26% of days 4° −2°
January 10 Sunday 10 rain in 4 of 20 yrs 4/20 5° −1° January 11 Monday 11 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 5° 0° January 12 Tuesday 12 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 8° 1° January 13 Wednesday 13 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 7° −1° January 14 Thursday 14 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 4° −2° January 15 Friday 15 rain in 5 of 20 yrs 5/20 3° −3° January 16 Saturday 16 rain in 7 of 20 yrs 7/20 4° −3° 10-16 rain on 31% of days 5° −1°
January 17 Sunday 17 rain in 7 of 20 yrs 7/20 3° −3° January 18 Monday 18 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 5° −1° January 19 Tuesday 19 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 5° −1° January 20 Wednesday 20 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 4° −2° January 21 Thursday 21 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 1° −5° January 22 Friday 22 rain in 1 of 20 yrs 1/20 2° −5° January 23 Saturday 23 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 3° −3° 17-23 rain on 26% of days 3° −3°
January 24 Sunday 24 rain in 4 of 20 yrs 4/20 4° −3° January 25 Monday 25 rain in 5 of 20 yrs 5/20 4° −2° January 26 Tuesday 26 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 3° −3° January 27 Wednesday 27 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 5° −2° January 28 Thursday 28 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 4° −2° January 29 Friday 29 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 4° −3° January 30 Saturday 30 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 3° −4° 24-30 rain on 25% of days 4° −3°
January 31 Sunday 31 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 3° −4°
January 31 rain on 30% of days 3° −4°
1-2 rain on 38% of days 6° 0° 3-9 rain on 26% of days 4° −2° 10-16 rain on 31% of days 5° −1° 17-23 rain on 26% of days 3° −3° 24-30 rain on 25% of days 4° −3° January 31 rain on 30% of days 3° −4°
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Week
January 1 Saturday 1 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 6° 1° January 1 rain on 40% of days 6° 1°
January 2 Sunday 2 rain in 7 of 20 yrs 7/20 6° −1° January 3 Monday 3 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 3° −2° January 4 Tuesday 4 rain in 5 of 20 yrs 5/20 5° −2° January 5 Wednesday 5 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 5° −1° January 6 Thursday 6 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 5° −1° January 7 Friday 7 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 4° −2° January 8 Saturday 8 rain in 2 of 20 yrs 2/20 3° −3° 2-8 rain on 28% of days 4° −2°
January 9 Sunday 9 rain in 4 of 20 yrs 4/20 5° −2° January 10 Monday 10 rain in 4 of 20 yrs 4/20 5° −1° January 11 Tuesday 11 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 5° 0° January 12 Wednesday 12 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 8° 1° January 13 Thursday 13 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 7° −1° January 14 Friday 14 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 4° −2° January 15 Saturday 15 rain in 5 of 20 yrs 5/20 3° −3° 9-15 rain on 29% of days 5° −1°
January 16 Sunday 16 rain in 7 of 20 yrs 7/20 4° −3° January 17 Monday 17 rain in 7 of 20 yrs 7/20 3° −3° January 18 Tuesday 18 rain in 11 of 20 yrs 11/20 5° −1° January 19 Wednesday 19 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 5° −1° January 20 Thursday 20 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 4° −2° January 21 Friday 21 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 1° −5° January 22 Saturday 22 rain in 1 of 20 yrs 1/20 2° −5° 16-22 rain on 27% of days 3° −3°
January 23 Sunday 23 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 3° −3° January 24 Monday 24 rain in 4 of 20 yrs 4/20 4° −3° January 25 Tuesday 25 rain in 5 of 20 yrs 5/20 4° −2° January 26 Wednesday 26 rain in 8 of 20 yrs 8/20 3° −3° January 27 Thursday 27 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 5° −2° January 28 Friday 28 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 4° −2° January 29 Saturday 29 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 4° −3° 23-29 rain on 27% of days 4° −2°
January 30 Sunday 30 rain in 3 of 20 yrs 3/20 3° −4° January 31 Monday 31 rain in 6 of 20 yrs 6/20 3° −4°
30-31 rain on 23% of days 3° −4°
January 1 rain on 40% of days 6° 1° 2-8 rain on 28% of days 4° −2° 9-15 rain on 29% of days 5° −1° 16-22 rain on 27% of days 3° −3° 23-29 rain on 27% of days 4° −2° 30-31 rain on 23% of days 3° −4°
Tap another date to change
2006 25mm
2007 2mm
2008 3mm
2009 3mm
2010 1mm
2011 31mm
2012 none
2013 none
2014 5mm
2015 41mm
2016 none
2017 1mm
2018 none
2019 none
2020 10mm
2021 none
2022 none
2023 none
2024 none
2025 5mm
Holidays in January (2027) January 1 New Year's DayJanuary 18 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. 1 Local public holiday or break (busier, pricier)
Holidays in January (2028)
Day by day temperature i −12° −1° 11° 22° 1 8 15 22 29 31
Your trip dates, the past 20 years Trip dates January 1 (Fri) 2 (Sat) 3 (Sun) 4 (Mon) 5 (Tue) 6 (Wed) 7 (Thu) 8 (Fri) 9 (Sat) 10 (Sun) 11 (Mon) 12 (Tue) 13 (Wed) 14 (Thu) 15 (Fri) 16 (Sat) 17 (Sun) 18 (Mon) 19 (Tue) 20 (Wed) 21 (Thu) 22 (Fri) 23 (Sat) 24 (Sun) 25 (Mon) 26 (Tue) 27 (Wed) 28 (Thu) 29 (Fri) 30 (Sat) 31 (Sun) ~ January 1 (Fri) 2 (Sat) 3 (Sun) 4 (Mon) 5 (Tue) 6 (Wed) 7 (Thu) 8 (Fri) 9 (Sat) 10 (Sun) 11 (Mon) 12 (Tue) 13 (Wed) 14 (Thu) 15 (Fri) 16 (Sat) 17 (Sun) 18 (Mon) 19 (Tue) 20 (Wed) 21 (Thu) 22 (Fri) 23 (Sat) 24 (Sun) 25 (Mon) 26 (Tue) 27 (Wed) 28 (Thu) 29 (Fri) 30 (Sat) 31 (Sun) 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-end Whole month
You can also click two dates on the axis. Hover a cell to see that day's rain. By year Driest trips first
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Trip rain days Month rain days Tap a date to start, tap another to end. Each cell is that date in one year. '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24 '25
of 20 18 Mon Pick January 18
11 Dates outside your trip are dimmed.
One row per year, one cell per day. 2016 had 4 rain days, 2017 had 14.
New York through the year What to pack Bring a warm winter coat, a hat and gloves. Thin layers underneath let you peel off in heated cafes and museums.
With 9 rain days, a pocket umbrella was insurance rather than a daily tool.
Common questions Does it rain a lot in New York in January? Over the past 20 years January averaged 9 rain days (1 mm or more) out of 31. Individual years ran from 4 in the driest to 14 in the wettest.
What should I wear in New York in January? Days averaged 4°C and nights −2°C. Pack a compact umbrella and a warm coat.
Is January a good time to visit New York? On warmth and rain days alone, New York's easiest month was September. January ranked 10 of 12.
How many clear days does New York get in January? About 7 clear days (under 30% cloud on average) and 9 overcast days (80% or more).
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