New York Weather In January
New York’s climate is subtropical : summers are hot and winters are cold. During the year, the thermal amplitude can reach 65 degrees, since temperatures can be lower than -20° in the heart of winter, and exceed 40° in summer. In addition, the proximity of the ocean and the fact that large masses of air collide can lead to very significant climate changes from one day to the next.
January is the coldest month of the year. In general, the average temperature is less than 1 degree and it is not uncommon for the thermometer to drop to -10 or -15 degrees. The wind coming from the ocean can make the feeling of cold even more intense, even if this wind is almost non-existent in the heart of the city.
As far as precipitation is concerned, the rains are quite heavy with an average of ten days of rain during the month, which is moreover the case all year round in New York (it even rains more in New York in summer than in winter). During the month of January, it snows often and sometimes heavily. It falls on average more than 75 cm of snow per year in New York.
What To Do In New York In January?
You will therefore have to think about covering yourself very well if you intend to visit New York in 5 days during the month of January. As far as your visits are concerned, however, you will be able to discover the city just as completely as during the more touristic seasons. In fact, winter is even the perfect season for indoor tours, which certainly abound in the Big Apple.
If you are looking for what to do in New York, you can of course discover all the major museums in the city, for example:
- The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art), the second most visited museum in the world,
- The MoMa, the most famous museum of contemporary art in the world,
- The Guggenheim Museum, an art museum as magical on the outside as it is on the inside,
- The New York Museum of Natural History, home to over 30 million specimens of natural species,
- Madame Tussauds, one of the largest wax museums in the world, the New York equivalent of the Grévin Museum,
- The 9/11 Museum, built under the site of Ground Zero and which pays tribute to the victims of the attacks.
Winter is also the perfect time to catch a musical on Broadway. Performances of all the great classic and newer musical acts take place throughout January in New York City.
You will be able to discover the comedies mentioned below:
- Chicago
- Wicked
- red Mill
- The Lion King
- The Phantom of the Opera
- MJ – The Life Story of Michael Jackson
- Aladdin
- And many more shows and musicals…
Let’s not forget that January is the perfect time to go see an NBA game in New York. The regular season is in full swing and you can watch games with very high stakes. The electrified atmosphere of Madison Square Garden (the mythical sports hall where the New York Knicks play at home ), will know how to warm you up even during the coldest winter days.
Finally, another popular indoor activity in New York is of course shopping. There isn’t really a sales period in New York during the month of January, except for January 1, which marks the last day of After Holiday Sales. But you can still find all the biggest brands in the world on the streets of Manhattan, as well as find very good deals in the outlets.
Good Reasons To Go To New York In January
As I just explained, most of the major attractions in New York are also accessible during the month of January. Now it’s time to talk about the attractions available only during winter and January, and the benefits of traveling to New York in January.
Enjoy A Little Christmas Atmosphere
Throughout the beginning of January, you can still experience New York’s Christmas decorations and lights. You will still have a few days to discover the incredible windows of department stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, or the impressive facades of the houses of Dyker Heights.
In early January, you can also see the world’s most famous Christmas tree (and one of the tallest) on the Rockefeller Center Esplanade. It is even more beautiful from 5:30 p.m., when it lights up. It is also on this same square that you can find the emblematic ice rink of Rockefeller Center, which remains open all January and even at -of the.
Prices Are Lower
Winter (apart from the Christmas holidays) is when you can travel to New York with some savings. Let’s be clear, New York is an expensive city, and even in January staying there will have a cost. But January is a period of very low tourist season, and this low affluence therefore makes it possible to take advantage of more attractive prices, especially with regard to hotels and flights.
January is the month when the average price of a hotel room is at its lowest in New York. To sleep in a double room in a 2-star hotel, you will have to pay around €100 on average, which is almost €50 less than for an equivalent room during high season. This price difference can also be seen in more upscale establishments. If you are looking for where to sleep in New York, do not hesitate to click on the button below to see the selection of accommodation on the Booking.com site.
The average price of plane tickets to New York remains relatively stable between September and June. Prices in January are therefore practically identical to those observed for practically all the rest of the year. However, you can still save an average of a hundred euros compared to flights that take place in July or August.
By booking your flight and hotel room early enough, you can save even more money.
Taking all this into account, January is, along with February, the month in which traveling to New York is the most economically affordable.
Tours Are Quieter
Of course, during the low season, the tourist sites are less crowded and you can discover them much more peacefully. You will waste much less time queuing in front of museums or major attractions, although I still recommend that you book a skip-the-line ticket online, when possible.
This lower attendance is especially true for historical sites and monuments and for museums. However, demand is still just as strong for sporting events, concerts or Broadway shows!
Discover New York And Central Park Under The Snow
Discovering New York is incredible, but discovering New York under the snow is simply magical. When the Big Apple puts on its white coat, the atmosphere changes completely and you can discover magnificent landscapes.
Of course, the place to discover without fail if you are in New York and it has snowed is Central Park. When the snow is more than 8 inches deep in Central Park (which is not uncommon during the New York winter), you could almost feel like you’re at a real ski resort.
In addition, even if the cold will certainly be there, the blue sky will also often be there. If the sky is clear, I really advise you to go to at least one of the large observation platforms in the city, to discover New York dressed in white. It is from the Top of the Rock that you will have the best view of Central Park, but you will also appreciate the views offered by the Empire State Building, the One World Observatory, The Edge or The Summit.
Another great way to experience New York in the snow is to take the Roosevelt Island Cable Car. This cable car connects Manhattan and Roosevelt Island, and you can board it for a 3-minute crossing during which you will discover superb aerial views.
Some Big Events Take Place In January
- Since 1992, NYC Restaurant Week has taken place twice a year: once in the winter and once in the summer. For 4 weeks (usually the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February), some of the most popular restaurants in the city offer menus at particularly interesting fixed prices.
- The Winter Jazzfest also takes place in January. This jazz festival, known in particular for its marathon of two nights of uninterrupted concerts, takes place in a dozen clubs in Lower Manhattan.
- New York celebrates the Chinese New Year with great fanfare, starting at the end of January – even in years when the precise date of the Chinese New Year falls at the beginning of February, since the festivities last a fortnight. For the occasion, parades, celebrations and fireworks are organized, including the famous dragon parade from Chinatown to Manhattan.
- The Winter Show is the country’s most prestigious art and antique show. It takes place every year at the end of January at the Park Avenue Armory, and you can contemplate objects dating from all eras, and up to 5,000 years ago.