Poughkeepsie weather in January

In January, Poughkeepsie sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 21°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 Poughkeepsie's 7th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Poughkeepsie's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
12th warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:26 AM – 4:44 PM
Cloud cover
62%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Poughkeepsie is city in New York, United States.

Density
2,051/km²
people per km²
Founded
1686

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 35°F through the month.

A typical January day in Poughkeepsie reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 21°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°F and 48°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)
13724
23723
33723
43723
53623
63622
73622
83622
93622
103622
113521
123521
133521
143520
153520
163520
173520
183520
193519
203419
213419
223519
233519
243519
253519
263519
273519
283519
293520
303520
313620

How January really feels in Poughkeepsie

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
23 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Poughkeepsie weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 21°3.49.35.99.30.0
Feb38° / 22°2.98.24.910.30.0
Mar47° / 29°4.010.44.111.71.4
Apr59° / 40°3.810.8113.14.4
May69° / 50°3.711.6014.36.1
Jun78° / 59°3.811.60156.4
Jul83° / 64°3.510.3014.75.7
Aug81° / 63°3.79.4013.76.4
Sep74° / 55°4.08.6012.37.0
Oct62° / 45°4.390.210.95.4
Nov50° / 35°3.38.71.19.62.3
Dec40° / 27°4.0104.590.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44456
54456
64456
74456
84357
94357
104357
114357
124357
134357
144357
154456
164456
174456
184456
194456
204456
214456
224555
234555
244555
254654
264555
274555
284555
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Poughkeepsie gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13217
23218
33318
43319
53319
63320
73320
83320
93320
103321
113221
123221
133121
143120
153020
163020
172919
182919
192919
202819
212818
222718
232718
242718
252718
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

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 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 7:28 AM to 7:17 AM, and sunset from 4:30 PM to 5:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.07:284:30
29.07:284:30
39.07:284:31
49.17:284:32
59.17:284:33
69.17:284:34
79.17:284:35
89.17:284:36
99.17:284:36
109.27:284:37
119.27:284:38
129.27:284:39
139.27:274:40
149.27:274:42
159.37:274:43
169.37:264:44
179.37:264:45
189.37:254:46
199.47:254:47
209.47:244:48
219.47:244:49
229.57:234:50
239.57:234:52
249.57:224:53
259.57:214:54
269.67:214:55
279.67:204:56
289.67:194:58
299.77:184:59
309.77:185:00
319.77:175:01

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.59 kWh/m² to a high of 5.98 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.97 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
252.2Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Poughkeepsie

In seasonPeak

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

Poughkeepsie 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 Poughkeepsie?

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
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Poughkeepsie.

What to pack for Poughkeepsie in January

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

In January, Poughkeepsie sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 21°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Poughkeepsie in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Poughkeepsie 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 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 8Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Poughkeepsie?

Poughkeepsie sits at 41.7°N, 73.9°W, 203 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Newburgh, 14 mi away.

Topography around Poughkeepsie

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Poughkeepsie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 518 ft around an average of 171 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,355 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,370 ft.

The land around Poughkeepsie is covered by trees (54%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (80%) within 10 miles, and trees (88%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
518 ft
10 miles
1,355 ft
50 miles
4,370 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Newburgh 14 mi · Kingston 16 mi · Kiryas Joel 28 mi · Peekskill 29 mi · Cortlandt Manor 29 mi · Middletown 31 mi · Danbury 32 mi · Ossining 37 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 Poughkeepsie (41.7004°, -73.921°, elevation 203 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). 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).