Amherst Center weather in January

In January, Amherst Center sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 18°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 9.6 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Amherst Center's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Amherst Center's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
12th warmest
Overnight low
18°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
9.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:23 AM – 4:36 PM
Cloud cover
59%
5th clearest
Wind
7 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Amherst Center is census-designated place in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States.

Density
1,484/km²
people per km²

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 33°F through the month.

A typical January day in Amherst Center reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 18°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°F and 46°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13521
23520
33520
43420
53420
63419
73419
83419
93419
103318
113318
123318
133318
143317
153317
163317
173217
183217
193216
203216
213216
223216
233216
243216
253216
263216
273316
283316
293316
303317
313317

How January really feels in Amherst Center

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Amherst Center weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 18°3.49.66.69.30.0
Feb36° / 19°3.08.96.310.30.0
Mar44° / 27°4.010.65.411.60.8
Apr57° / 38°3.711.11.513.13.8
May67° / 48°3.3110.114.46.0
Jun77° / 57°3.510.80156.6
Jul82° / 63°3.49.9014.86.4
Aug80° / 61°3.39.2013.76.7
Sep72° / 53°3.88.3012.36.9
Oct60° / 43°4.39.50.310.84.9
Nov48° / 33°3.59.71.79.61.8
Dec38° / 24°4.210.55.490.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34654
44555
54555
64555
74555
84456
94555
104555
114555
124654
134555
144654
154753
164753
174852
184951
194951
204951
215050
225149
235149
245149
255248
265248
275248
285347
295347
305347
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Amherst Center gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 9.6 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 31% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13320
23320
33421
43422
53422
63422
73423
83423
93424
103424
113424
123425
133325
143324
153324
163224
173223
183123
193122
203022
212921
222921
232920
242820
252819
262819
272819
282819
292819
302819
312819

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:25 AM to 7:13 AM, and sunset from 4:22 PM to 4:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:254:22
29.07:254:22
39.07:254:23
49.07:254:24
59.07:254:25
69.07:254:26
79.07:254:27
89.07:254:28
99.17:254:29
109.17:254:30
119.17:244:31
129.17:244:32
139.17:244:33
149.27:234:34
159.27:234:35
169.27:234:36
179.27:224:37
189.37:224:38
199.37:214:39
209.37:214:41
219.47:204:42
229.47:204:43
239.47:194:44
249.47:184:45
259.57:184:47
269.57:174:48
279.57:164:49
289.67:154:50
299.67:154:51
309.77:144:53
319.77:134:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.92 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
172.0Dim
182.0Moderate
192.0Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Amherst Center?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Amherst Center.

What to pack for Amherst Center in January

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

In January, Amherst Center sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 18°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Amherst Center in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Amherst Center peaks around July 11 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Amherst Center?

Amherst Center sits at 42.4°N, 72.5°W, 305 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Amherst, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Amherst Center

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Amherst Center.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Amherst Center has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 226 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,260 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,675 ft.

The land around Amherst Center is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (79%) within 10 miles, and trees (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
1,260 ft
50 miles
3,675 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Amherst 0.6 mi · Northampton 6.8 mi · South Hadley 8.7 mi · Easthampton 11 mi · Holyoke 13 mi · North Chicopee 14 mi · Ludlow 15 mi · Greenfield 15 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 Amherst Center (42.3754°, -72.5192°, elevation 305 ft), 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).