New York weather in January: New York, New York: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
New York in January has a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 28°F, a daily mean of 34°F, holding near 40°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal January, 3.64 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 4°C and low of −2°C, 92 mm of precipitation and 22 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationNew York Central Park Tower
- Station IDUSW00094728
- Location40.78°N 73.97°W
- Elevation130 ft (40 m)
- From the center8 miles
- Population8,478,072
- Jan 40° 28°
- Feb 42° 30°
- Mar 50° 36°
- Apr 62° 46°
- May 71° 55°
- Jun 80° 64°
- Jul 85° 70°
- Aug 83° 69°
- Sep 76° 62°
- Oct 65° 51°
- Nov 54° 42°
- Dec 44° 34°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is New York in January?
The normal high is 40°F and the normal low 28°F, for a daily mean of 33.7°F. January is 5.4°F cooler than December and 2.2°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in New York and the 10th wettest. Across the month the normal high falls 1°F, from 41°F on January 1 to 40°F on January 31. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 4.3°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 29°F and 38°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 36%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 41°F | 30°F | 36% | 22% |
| January 8 | 40°F | 29°F | 35% | 21% |
| January 15 | 39°F | 28°F | 35% | 21% |
| January 22 | 39°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% |
| January 31 | 40°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 1, coldest night January 23)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 41°F | 30°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 2 | 40°F | 30°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 3 | 40°F | 29°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 4 | 40°F | 29°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 5 | 40°F | 29°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 6 | 40°F | 29°F | 36% | 22% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 7 | 40°F | 29°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 8 | 40°F | 29°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 20 min |
| January 9 | 40°F | 28°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 10 | 40°F | 28°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 11 | 39°F | 28°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 12 | 39°F | 28°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 13 | 39°F | 28°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 14 | 39°F | 28°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 15 | 39°F | 28°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 16 | 39°F | 28°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 30 min |
| January 17 | 39°F | 27°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 18 | 39°F | 27°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 19 | 39°F | 27°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 20 | 39°F | 27°F | 35% | 21% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 21 | 39°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 22 | 39°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 23 | 39°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 24 | 39°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 25 | 39°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 26 | 39°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 27 | 39°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 28 | 40°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 10 h |
| January 29 | 40°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 10 h |
| January 30 | 40°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 10 h |
| January 31 | 40°F | 27°F | 34% | 20% | 10 h |
- Normal high
- 40°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 28°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 3.64 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 8.8 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 21
- Daylight
- 9 h 20 min to 10 hJanuary 1 to January 31
- Sunshine
- 67%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00094728; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in New York in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 35% on average, highest around January 1 (36%). In all, 3.64 in falls on 11 days of a normal January, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal January in New York, 21 nights fall to freezing, 7 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 8.8 inches.
Snow falls on 4 days in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 8 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00094728.
What are the records for January in New York?
The warmest January temperature on this station's record (since 1869) is 72°F, on January 26, 1950; the coldest is −6°F, on January 24, 1882. The wettest January brought 10.52 in (1979); the snowiest, 36.0 inches (2011).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 33.7°F: 2021 34.8°F (+1.1), 2022 30.3°F (−3.4), 2023 43.5°F (+9.8), 2024 37.0°F (+3.3), 2025 31.2°F (−2.5), 2026 30.4°F (−3.3). 3 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34.8°F | +1.1°F | 2.31 in |
| 2022 | 30.3°F | −3.4°F | 4.29 in |
| 2023 | 43.5°F | +9.8°F | 4.38 in |
| 2024 | 37.0°F | +3.3°F | 5.28 in |
| 2025 | 31.2°F | −2.5°F | 0.61 in |
| 2026 | 30.4°F | −3.3°F | 2.70 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00094728; recent months: ACIS, station USW00094728. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in New York compare across New York?
Across the 131 places PlainClimate covers in New York, January normal highs run from 23°F in Cooperstown to 42°F in Wantagh; New York's is 40°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.