Sparta in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Sparta sees average daytime highs around 38°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 10.4 in of precipitation over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 38°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
38°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
24°F
Precipitation
10.4 in
28 wet days
Avg wind
7 mph
Travel score
0.1
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Sparta in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 38°F.

A typical winter day in Sparta reaches about 38°F and drops to 24°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.

20°40°60°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Sparta

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

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
90
35 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Sparta 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
Jan36° / 22°3.59.55.69.40.0
Feb39° / 23°3.08.84.610.40.0
Mar47° / 31°4.110.94.111.71.5
Apr59° / 41°3.710.80.713.14.4
May69° / 51°3.711.7014.36.1
Jun78° / 60°3.911.3014.96.4
Jul83° / 65°3.710.7014.65.7
Aug81° / 64°3.610.5013.66.3
Sep74° / 56°4.29.6012.36.9
Oct62° / 45°4.090.210.95.4
Nov50° / 35°3.28.319.72.5
Dec40° / 28°4.01049.10.2

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitationSnow

Sparta gets around 10.4 in of rain and snow over 28 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 7 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

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 Sparta

In seasonPeak

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

Sparta 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 Sparta?

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.

0.1
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 Sparta.

What to pack for Sparta in Winter

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

In winter, Sparta sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 28 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Sparta 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 Sparta peaks around July 11 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Sparta 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 Sparta is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1416 µg/m³Nov 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sparta?

Sparta sits at 41.0°N, 74.6°W, 748 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Hopatcong Hills, 6.2 mi away.

Topography around Sparta

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sparta has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 745 ft around an average of 899 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,079 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,530 ft.

The land around Sparta is covered by trees (76%) within 2 miles, trees (80%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
745 ft
10 miles
1,079 ft
50 miles
2,530 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Hopatcong Hills 6.2 mi · Dover 11 mi · Denville 13 mi · Randolph 13 mi · West Milford 16 mi · Parsippany 16 mi · Morristown 18 mi · Wayne 21 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 Sparta (41.0334°, -74.6385°, elevation 748 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.