Philipsburg weather in January

In January, Philipsburg sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 27 mm of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Philipsburg's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Philipsburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
10th warmest
Overnight low
24°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
27 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:51 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
28%
2nd clearest
Wind
27 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.5
out of 10

Philipsburg is capital city of Sint Maarten.

Founded
1493

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Philipsburg reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12625
22625
32625
42625
52625
62625
72625
82625
92625
102625
112624
122624
132624
142624
152624
162624
172624
182624
192524
202524
212524
222524
232524
242524
252524
262524
272524
282524
292524
302524
312524

How January really feels in Philipsburg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Philipsburg weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 24°279.1117.5
Feb25° / 24°216.911.47.8
Mar25° / 24°205.511.98.0
Apr26° / 25°317.812.47.4
May27° / 26°6111.912.86.4
Jun27° / 26°4810.613.16.4
Jul28° / 26°7114136.1
Aug28° / 27°841512.65.6
Sep28° / 27°11717.212.15.1
Oct28° / 26°12616.311.65.5
Nov27° / 26°10314.811.26.0
Dec26° / 25°4811.410.96.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 7%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18911
28911
38911
49010
59010
69010
7919
8919
9928
10937
11946
12946
13955
14955
15955
16955
17955
18955
19964
20964
21964
22955
23955
24955
25955
26946
27937
28937
29937
30946
31946

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Philipsburg gets around 27 mm of rain over 9.1 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 29% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
829
929
1029
1129
1229
1328
1428
1528
1628
1728
1828
1928
2028
2128
2228
2328
2429
2529
2629
2729
2829
2929
3029
3129

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1034057
2034156
3034156
4034255
5034354
6034453
7034552
8034651
9034651
10034750
11034849
12034848
13134947
14134947
15135046
16145045
17145144
18145144
19145243
20145342
21145441
22155341
23155440
24155539
25165538
26165637
27175636
28175735
29175834
30175834
31185833

Wind in January

Winds average 27 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 26 km/h on the calmest days to 28 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
128breezy
228breezy
328breezy
428breezy
528breezy
628breezy
728breezy
828breezy
928breezy
1027breezy
1127breezy
1227breezy
1327breezy
1427breezy
1527breezy
1627breezy
1727breezy
1826breezy
1926breezy
2026breezy
2126breezy
2226breezy
2326breezy
2426breezy
2526breezy
2626breezy
2727breezy
2827breezy
2927breezy
3027breezy
3127breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:47 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 6:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:475:43
210.96:485:44
310.96:485:45
410.96:485:45
511.06:495:46
611.06:495:46
711.06:495:47
811.06:495:47
911.06:505:48
1011.06:505:49
1111.06:505:49
1211.06:505:50
1311.06:505:50
1411.06:505:51
1511.06:515:52
1611.06:515:52
1711.06:515:53
1811.06:515:54
1911.16:515:54
2011.16:515:55
2111.16:515:55
2211.16:515:56
2311.16:515:57
2411.16:515:57
2511.16:515:58
2611.16:515:58
2711.16:515:59
2811.16:505:59
2911.26:506:00
3011.26:506:01
3111.26:506:01

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.78 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.5 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4.78 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Philipsburg

In seasonPeak

None of Philipsburg's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Philipsburg sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Philipsburg's rainy season runs May–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Philipsburg sees seasonal dust haze (July), heaviest in July.

Atlantic hurricane
Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Philipsburg?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Philipsburg for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Philipsburg in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Philipsburg sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 24°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Philipsburg in January

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May27Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Philipsburg in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Philipsburg peaks around April 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 7 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 12UV 13Dec 17UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Philipsburg in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Philipsburg is worst in July — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.1× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1223 µg/m³Dec 226 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar7Good
Apr9Good
May13Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Philipsburg?

Philipsburg sits at 18.0°N, 63.0°W, 0 m above sea level, in Sint Maarten. The nearest listed city is Marigot, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Philipsburg

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Philipsburg.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Philipsburg has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 316 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 417 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,075 m.

The land around Philipsburg is covered by water (42%), trees (27%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (90%) within 16 km, and water (98%) within 80 km.

3 km
316 m
16 km
417 m
80 km
1,075 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Marigot 6.0 km · The Valley 21 km · Gustavia 25 km · Basseterre 88 km · Codrington 136 km · St. John's 162 km · Brades 163 km · Plymouth 171 km

Sint Maarten travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 / 127 / 220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 76% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$42,978
2025
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 42%Roman Catholic 33%none 8%Hindu 5%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Philipsburg (18.026°, -63.0458°, elevation 0 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).