Waterford weather in January

In January, Waterford sees average daytime highs of 38°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 3.9 in of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 37°F by the end. 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 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Waterford's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Waterford's year-round climate.

Daytime high
38°
12th warmest
Overnight low
29°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.9 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
7:18 AM – 4:38 PM
Cloud cover
60%
8th clearest
Wind
14 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Waterford is town in New London County, Connecticut, United States.

Founded
1801

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 40°F in the first days to 37°F by the end.

A typical January day in Waterford reaches about 38°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°F and 48°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 6°F cooler than December and on par with February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14031
24031
34031
44031
53930
63930
73930
83930
93930
103829
113829
123829
133829
143828
153828
163828
173728
183728
193728
203727
213727
223727
233727
243727
253727
263727
273727
283727
293727
303727
313728

How January really feels in Waterford

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Waterford weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 29°3.910.34.79.40.0
Feb38° / 29°3.59.13.910.30.0
Mar43° / 34°4.710.53.511.70.4
Apr51° / 43°4.210.80.513.12.4
May59° / 51°3.510.6014.34.4
Jun68° / 61°3.79.7014.96.3
Jul75° / 68°3.18.9014.77.2
Aug75° / 68°3.89.2013.77.2
Sep70° / 62°4.28.6012.36.8
Oct61° / 53°4.79.70.110.95.2
Nov52° / 43°4.19.40.59.72.8
Dec44° / 35°4.911.42.89.10.6

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 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44753
54654
64654
74654
84654
94654
104555
114555
124555
134555
144555
154555
164555
174555
184555
194654
204654
214654
224654
234654
244753
254753
264753
274852
284753
294753
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Waterford gets around 3.9 in of rain and snow over 10.3 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13512
23513
33513
43514
53614
63615
73615
83615
93615
103616
113616
123616
133516
143516
153416
163416
173416
183315
193315
203215
213215
223115
233115
243015
253015
262915
272914
282914
292914
302914
312914

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

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 mph on the calmest days to 15 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
115breezy
215breezy
315breezy
415breezy
515breezy
615breezy
715breezy
815breezy
915breezy
1015breezy
1114breezy
1214breezy
1314breezy
1414breezy
1514breezy
1614breezy
1714breezy
1814breezy
1914breezy
2014breezy
2114breezy
2214breezy
2314breezy
2414breezy
2514breezy
2614breezy
2714breezy
2814breezy
2914breezy
3014breezy
3114breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of January to 9 h 48 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 7:20 AM to 7:09 AM, and sunset from 4:24 PM to 4:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:204:24
29.17:204:24
39.17:204:25
49.17:204:26
59.17:204:27
69.17:204:28
79.17:204:29
89.27:204:30
99.27:204:30
109.27:204:31
119.27:204:32
129.27:194:33
139.37:194:34
149.37:194:35
159.37:184:37
169.37:184:38
179.37:184:39
189.47:174:40
199.47:174:41
209.47:164:42
219.57:164:43
229.57:154:44
239.57:154:45
249.57:144:47
259.67:134:48
269.67:134:49
279.67:124:50
289.77:114:51
299.77:104:53
309.77:104:54
319.87:094:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
142.0Dim
152.0Moderate
162.0Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.1Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Waterford

In seasonPeak

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

Waterford 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 Waterford?

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
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Waterford.

What to pack for Waterford in January

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

In January, Waterford sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Waterford 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 at the nearest coast (about 15 mi away) is warmest in August at about 71°F and coldest in February near 39°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 15 to Sep 15 — about 2.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar39Bracing
Apr44Bracing
May52Bracing
Jun61Cool
Jul69Refreshing
Aug71Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct63Cool
Nov55Bracing
Dec48Bracing

UV index in Waterford 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 Waterford peaks around July 10 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 10UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Waterford in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Waterford is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1515 µg/m³Nov 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Waterford?

Waterford sits at 41.3°N, 72.1°W, 30 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is New London, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Waterford

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Waterford has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 ft around an average of 102 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 656 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,325 ft.

The land around Waterford is covered by trees (73%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) and water (39%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
282 ft
10 miles
656 ft
50 miles
1,325 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: New London 1.9 mi · Ledyard 9.3 mi · Montville Center 9.3 mi · Norwich 13 mi · Westerly 16 mi · Madison 24 mi · Windham 25 mi · Willimantic 25 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 Waterford (41.3417°, -72.136°, elevation 30 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).