Setauket-East Setauket in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Setauket-East Setauket sees average daytime highs around 40°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 11.9 in of precipitation over about 29 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 47°F in early December to 40°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Setauket-East Setauket's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Setauket-East Setauket's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
40°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
31°F
Precipitation
11.9 in
29 wet days
Avg wind
11 mph
Travel score
0.2
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Setauket-East Setauket in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 47°F in early December to 40°F by late February.

A typical winter day in Setauket-East Setauket reaches about 40°F and drops to 31°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

20°30°40°50°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Setauket-East Setauket

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 88 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
88
wind chill below the day's low

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

Setauket-East Setauket weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 29°3.79.74.29.40.0
Feb38° / 29°3.49.13.810.40.0
Mar44° / 35°4.610.63.311.70.7
Apr53° / 44°3.910.70.413.13.0
May63° / 53°3.510.8014.35.3
Jun72° / 64°3.69.7014.96.7
Jul78° / 70°3.29.2014.66.9
Aug78° / 70°4.09.5013.67.0
Sep72° / 64°3.89.1012.36.9
Oct62° / 54°4.49.40.110.95.5
Nov53° / 44°3.79.10.39.73.0
Dec44° / 35°4.810.62.49.10.7

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Setauket-East Setauket gets around 11.9 in of rain and snow over 29 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 11 mph across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.3 kWh/m².

01234DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Setauket-East Setauket

In seasonPeak

None of Setauket-East Setauket's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Setauket-East Setauket 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 winter a good time to visit Setauket-East Setauket?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

0.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Setauket-East Setauket.

What to pack for Setauket-East Setauket in Winter

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

In winter, Setauket-East Setauket sees daytime highs around 40°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 29 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Setauket-East Setauket in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 40°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 mi away) is warmest in August at about 74°F and coldest in February near 35°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 1 to Sep 30 — about 3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb35Bracing
Mar37Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun65Cool
Jul72Refreshing
Aug74Refreshing
Sep71Refreshing
Oct64Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec46Bracing

UV index in Setauket-East Setauket in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Setauket-East Setauket 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 22 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 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Setauket-East Setauket in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Setauket-East Setauket is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1120 µg/m³Nov 188 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Setauket-East Setauket?

Setauket-East Setauket sits at 40.9°N, 73.1°W, 102 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Setauket, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Setauket-East Setauket

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Setauket-East Setauket has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 121 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 338 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,457 ft.

The land around Setauket-East Setauket is covered by trees (77%) within 2 miles, water (45%) and trees (42%) within 10 miles, and water (47%) and trees (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
338 ft
50 miles
1,457 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
Winter weather nearby: East Setauket 0.6 mi · Centereach 5.0 mi · Selden 5.6 mi · Coram 6.8 mi · Lake Ronkonkoma 6.8 mi · Smithtown 7.5 mi · Farmingville 8.1 mi · Ronkonkoma 8.1 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 Setauket-East Setauket (40.9306°, -73.1018°, elevation 102 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.