Watertown weather in January

In January, Watertown sees average daytime highs of 28°F and overnight lows near 16°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation across 13.6 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 30°F in the first days to 27°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Watertown's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watertown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
16°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.4 in
13.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:41 AM – 4:45 PM
Cloud cover
77%
11th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Watertown is city in Jefferson County, New York, United States.

Density
1,104/km²
people per km²
Founded
1800

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 30°F in the first days to 27°F by the end.

A typical January day in Watertown reaches about 28°F in the afternoon and slips back to 16°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°F and 41°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 6°F cooler than December and on par with February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13119
23119
33019
43019
53018
63018
72918
82917
92917
102917
112916
122816
132816
142815
152815
162815
172815
182714
192714
202714
212714
222714
232714
242714
252714
262714
272714
282714
292714
302714
312714

How January really feels in Watertown

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.

Watertown 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
Jan28° / 16°3.413.612.39.10.0
Feb29° / 16°2.8119.310.20.0
Mar37° / 24°3.212.17.411.60.1
Apr50° / 37°4.112.32.613.22.2
May62° / 48°3.4120.114.55.0
Jun71° / 59°4.012.2015.26.3
Jul76° / 64°4.213.2014.96.5
Aug75° / 62°3.812.5013.86.7
Sep68° / 55°3.810.1012.36.3
Oct56° / 44°4.613.50.310.83.5
Nov45° / 34°3.813.74.39.40.9
Dec34° / 24°3.81510.78.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31882
41882
51981
61981
71981
81981
92179
102278
112278
122377
132377
142377
152575
162674
172674
182674
192773
202773
212674
222773
232773
242872
252773
262773
272773
282773
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Watertown gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 13.6 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 44% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14939
24940
34940
44940
54940
64940
74841
84841
94741
104740
114640
124640
134540
144439
154439
164339
174338
184238
194138
204138
214038
224038
234038
244038
254038
263938
273937
283937
293937
303937
313937

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 9 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 30 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 7:44 AM to 7:31 AM, and sunset from 4:30 PM to 5:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.87:444:30
28.87:444:30
38.87:444:31
48.87:444:32
58.87:444:33
68.87:444:34
78.87:444:35
88.97:444:36
98.97:444:37
108.97:434:38
118.97:434:39
129.07:434:40
139.07:434:41
149.07:424:42
159.07:424:43
169.17:414:45
179.17:414:46
189.17:404:47
199.17:404:48
209.27:394:49
219.27:394:51
229.27:384:52
239.37:374:53
249.37:374:54
259.37:364:56
269.47:354:57
279.47:344:58
289.47:334:59
299.57:325:01
309.57:315:02
319.57:315:03

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.65 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.3Dim
21.3Dim
31.3Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
262.0Dim
272.0Moderate
282.0Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Watertown

In seasonPeak

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

Watertown 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 Watertown?

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 Watertown.

What to pack for Watertown in January

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

In January, Watertown sees daytime highs around 28°F and nights near 16°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Watertown in January

The nearest coast averages about 38°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 24 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in March near 35°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 14 to Sep 13 — about 2 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May45Bracing
Jun58Bracing
Jul69Refreshing
Aug72Refreshing
Sep68Cool
Oct59Bracing
Nov50Bracing
Dec43Bracing

UV index in Watertown 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 Watertown peaks around July 13 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 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 13UV 8Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Watertown?

Watertown sits at 44.0°N, 75.9°W, 466 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kingston, 34 mi away.

Topography around Watertown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Watertown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 486 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,260 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,205 ft.

The land around Watertown is covered by trees (50%), grassland (21%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 2 miles, trees (53%), grassland (21%) and cropland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (59%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
1,260 ft
50 miles
2,205 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Kingston 34 mi · Brockville 44 mi · Oswego 47 mi · Greater Napanee 55 mi · Clay 56 mi · Cicero 56 mi · Rome 57 mi · Syracuse 65 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 Watertown (43.9748°, -75.9108°, elevation 466 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).