Palmer weather in January

In January, Palmer sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 19°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 9.8 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-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 32% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 hours at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Palmer's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmer's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
12th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
9.8 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
7:21 AM – 4:36 PM
Cloud cover
59%
6th clearest
Wind
8 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Palmer is census-designated place in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States.

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 Palmer reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 19°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°F and 46°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 5°F cooler than December and about 2°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13522
23522
33522
43521
53421
63421
73421
83421
93420
103320
113320
123320
133319
143319
153319
163319
173319
183219
193218
203218
213218
223218
233218
243218
253218
263218
273318
283318
293318
303318
313319

How January really feels in Palmer

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.

Palmer weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°3.39.86.39.30.0
Feb35° / 20°3.08.75.710.30.0
Mar43° / 28°4.010.5511.60.6
Apr55° / 39°3.5111.613.13.3
May65° / 49°3.2110.114.45.6
Jun74° / 59°3.611.10156.5
Jul80° / 65°3.49.9014.86.6
Aug78° / 63°3.49.3013.76.9
Sep71° / 56°3.68.4012.36.9
Oct59° / 45°4.09.70.410.84.7
Nov48° / 35°3.391.49.61.8
Dec38° / 26°4.110.35.290.0

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 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24654
34753
44654
54753
64654
74654
84555
94555
104654
114654
124654
134753
144753
154753
164753
174852
184852
194951
204951
214951
225050
235149
245149
255149
265248
275248
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Palmer gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 9.8 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 (%)
13419
23419
33420
43521
53521
63521
73522
83522
93422
103423
113423
123423
133323
143323
153222
163222
173222
183121
193121
203021
213020
223020
232919
242919
252919
262918
272918
282918
292918
302918
312918

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 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 hours 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 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:23 AM to 7:11 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)
19.07:234:22
29.07:234:22
39.07:244:23
49.07:244:24
59.07:244:25
69.07:244:26
79.17:234:27
89.17:234:28
99.17:234:29
109.17:234:30
119.17:234:31
129.27:234:32
139.27:224:33
149.27:224:34
159.27:224:35
169.27:214:36
179.37:214:37
189.37:204:38
199.37:204:39
209.47:194:40
219.47:194:42
229.47:184:43
239.47:184:44
249.57:174:45
259.57:164:46
269.57:164:48
279.67:154:49
289.67:144:50
299.67:134:51
309.77:124:53
319.77:114:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.88 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.01 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
151.9Dim
162.0Dim
172.0Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Palmer?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Palmer.

What to pack for Palmer in January

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

In January, Palmer sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 19°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 Palmer 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 Palmer peaks around July 11 at about 8 (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 highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Palmer?

Palmer sits at 42.2°N, 72.3°W, 344 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ludlow, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Palmer

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Palmer has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft around an average of 538 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,155 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,097 ft.

The land around Palmer is covered by trees (85%) within 2 miles, trees (87%) within 10 miles, and trees (91%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
719 ft
10 miles
1,155 ft
50 miles
3,097 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Ludlow 7.5 mi · East Longmeadow 11 mi · Springfield 14 mi · North Chicopee 14 mi · Chicopee 14 mi · South Hadley 14 mi · Longmeadow 15 mi · Holyoke 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 Palmer (42.1584°, -72.3287°, elevation 344 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).