Boston weather in January

In January, Boston sees average daytime highs of 36°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 3.7 in of precipitation across 10 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 36°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 Boston's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Boston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
12th warmest
Overnight low
24°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.7 in
10 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:17 AM – 4:30 PM
Cloud cover
58%
4th clearest
Wind
10 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Boston is capital city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and seat of Suffolk County.

Density
2,816/km²
people per km²
Founded
1630

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 36°F through the month.

A typical January day in Boston reaches about 36°F in the afternoon and slips back to 24°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°F and 49°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 2°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13826
23826
33826
43826
53826
63725
73725
83725
93725
103725
113724
123724
133624
143624
153624
163623
173623
183623
193523
203523
213523
223523
233523
243523
253523
263523
273523
283623
293623
303623
313623

How January really feels in Boston

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
20 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Boston weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 24°3.7105.69.30.0
Feb38° / 25°3.38.85.110.30.0
Mar44° / 31°4.611.14.611.60.8
Apr54° / 41°3.911113.13.2
May64° / 50°3.210.6014.45.5
Jun73° / 59°3.410.10156.6
Jul79° / 65°2.99.6014.86.7
Aug78° / 65°3.49.2013.77.0
Sep71° / 58°3.58.2012.36.9
Oct61° / 48°4.39.80.110.85.1
Nov50° / 38°3.79.60.89.62.4
Dec41° / 30°4.510.84.390.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
64951
74951
84951
94852
104852
114852
124852
134951
144951
155050
164951
174951
184951
195050
205050
215050
225149
235149
245149
255149
265248
275248
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Boston gets around 3.7 in of rain and snow over 10 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13516
23416
33417
43417
53418
63418
73418
83419
93419
103419
113420
123420
133420
143420
153420
163319
173319
183319
193218
203218
213118
223117
233017
243017
253017
262917
272917
282916
292916
302917
312917

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 10 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

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 7:19 AM to 7:07 AM, and sunset from 4:16 PM to 4:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:194:16
29.07:194:17
39.07:194:17
49.07:194:18
59.07:194:19
69.07:194:20
79.07:194:21
89.17:194:22
99.17:194:23
109.17:194:24
119.17:184:25
129.17:184:26
139.27:184:27
149.27:184:28
159.27:174:29
169.27:174:30
179.27:164:31
189.37:164:32
199.37:154:34
209.37:154:35
219.47:144:36
229.47:144:37
239.47:134:38
249.57:124:40
259.57:124:41
269.57:114:42
279.57:104:43
289.67:094:44
299.67:094:46
309.77:084:47
319.77:074:48

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 1.6 kWh/m² to a high of 5.95 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
71.8Dim
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
252.2Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Boston

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is January a good time to visit Boston?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Boston.

What to pack for Boston in January

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

In January, Boston sees daytime highs around 36°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Boston in January

The nearest coast averages about 41°F 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 9 mi away) is warmest in August at about 66°F and coldest in February near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan41Bracing
Feb38Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May50Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul65Cool
Aug66Cool
Sep63Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Boston 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 Boston peaks around July 10 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 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 highHighHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Boston 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 Boston is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1516 µg/m³Nov 189 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Boston?

Boston sits at 42.4°N, 71.1°W, 46 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Charlestown, 1.2 mi away.

Topography around Boston

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Boston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft around an average of 20 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 512 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,185 ft.

The land around Boston is covered by artificial surfaces (69%) and water (22%) within 2 miles, trees (37%), artificial surfaces (29%) and water (29%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and water (30%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
135 ft
10 miles
512 ft
50 miles
2,185 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Charlestown 1.2 mi · Back Bay 1.2 mi · East Boston 1.9 mi · South Boston 1.9 mi · Fenway/Kenmore 2.5 mi · Roxbury Crossing 2.5 mi · Cambridge 2.5 mi · Chelsea 2.5 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 Boston (42.3584°, -71.0598°, elevation 46 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. 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).