Gloucester weather in January

In January, Gloucester sees average daytime highs of 36°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 4.3 in of precipitation across 10.7 wet days and about 9.2 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 32% 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 Gloucester's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gloucester's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
12th warmest
Overnight low
26°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.3 in
10.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:16 AM – 4:28 PM
Cloud cover
59%
7th clearest
Wind
16 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Gloucester is city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States.

Density
277/km²
people per km²
Founded
1623

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 Gloucester reaches about 36°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 10°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°F and 47°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and on par with February.

10°20°30°40°50°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13829
23829
33828
43828
53828
63828
73728
83728
93727
103727
113727
123727
133726
143626
153626
163626
173626
183626
193625
203525
213525
223525
233525
243525
253525
263525
273525
283525
293525
303525
313526

How January really feels in Gloucester

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
18 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Gloucester 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° / 26°4.310.75.89.20.0
Feb37° / 27°3.89.5510.30.0
Mar40° / 32°5.211.54.411.60.1
Apr47° / 41°4.811.21.113.11.5
May55° / 49°3.910.8014.43.6
Jun64° / 59°3.79.5015.15.8
Jul70° / 65°2.78.6014.86.8
Aug70° / 65°3.27.9013.76.9
Sep65° / 60°3.88.2012.36.3
Oct57° / 51°5.210.50.110.84.2
Nov49° / 42°4.610.40.69.62.0
Dec41° / 33°5.411.43.88.90.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34852
44852
54852
64852
74852
84753
94753
104753
114753
124753
134852
144852
154852
164852
174852
184951
194951
205050
215050
225149
235149
245248
255248
265248
275248
285248
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Gloucester gets around 4.3 in of rain and snow over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13716
23717
33717
43718
53718
63719
73719
83719
93719
103720
113720
123620
133620
143620
153620
163520
173520
183419
193419
203419
213319
223318
233218
243218
253218
263117
273117
283117
293117
303117
313117

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 mph on the calmest days to 16 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
116breezy
216breezy
316breezy
416breezy
516breezy
616breezy
716breezy
816breezy
916breezy
1016breezy
1116breezy
1216breezy
1316breezy
1416breezy
1516breezy
1616breezy
1716breezy
1816breezy
1916breezy
2016breezy
2116breezy
2216breezy
2316breezy
2416breezy
2515breezy
2615breezy
2715breezy
2815breezy
2915breezy
3015breezy
3115breezy

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 7:18 AM to 7:06 AM, and sunset from 4:13 PM to 4:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:184:13
28.97:184:14
38.97:184:15
49.07:184:16
59.07:184:17
69.07:184:18
79.07:184:19
89.07:184:20
99.07:184:20
109.17:184:21
119.17:184:22
129.17:174:24
139.17:174:25
149.17:174:26
159.27:164:27
169.27:164:28
179.27:164:29
189.27:154:30
199.37:154:31
209.37:144:32
219.37:144:34
229.47:134:35
239.47:124:36
249.47:124:37
259.57:114:38
269.57:104:40
279.57:094:41
289.67:094:42
299.67:084:43
309.67:074:45
319.77:064:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.87 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.9Dim
212.0Dim
222.0Moderate
232.0Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.1Moderate
272.2Moderate
282.2Moderate
292.2Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Gloucester

In seasonPeak

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

Gloucester 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 Gloucester?

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
7th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gloucester.

What to pack for Gloucester in January

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

In January, Gloucester sees daytime highs around 36°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Gloucester in January

The nearest coast averages about 42°F in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 39°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
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar39Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul64Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Gloucester 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 Gloucester 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 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 highHighHighModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Gloucester?

Gloucester sits at 42.6°N, 70.7°W, 52 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Beverly Cove, 11 mi away.

Topography around Gloucester

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gloucester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 240 ft around an average of 56 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,230 ft.

The land around Gloucester is covered by trees (45%) and water (31%) within 2 miles, water (74%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and water (45%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
240 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
1,230 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Beverly Cove 11 mi · Beverly 12 mi · Marblehead 12 mi · Salem 14 mi · Danvers 14 mi · Peabody 15 mi · South Peabody 16 mi · Newburyport 17 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 Gloucester (42.614°, -70.6631°, elevation 52 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).