Where to go in January
The country splits clean in two this month — half of it is scraping a windshield before work, the other half is eating lunch outside in a t-shirt. Pick your half.
Looking up The Quadrantids peak on the night of January 3–4, 2027. The calendar, with the moon on each night ›
Beach warm
3 places
Genuinely warm
13 places
- Hilo HI 79° / 64° Rain on the roof, warm air underneath it.
- Lihue (Kauai) HI 79° / 66° Green beyond reason, and the north shore starts roaring.
- Miami FL 76° / 61° Beach weather without the sweat; ocean still has an edge.
- Key West FL 76° / 66° Shorts most days; a long-sleeve for the wind off the water.
- Fort Lauderdale FL 76° / 61° Sun, sea breeze, and no reason to own a coat.
- Fort Myers FL 75° / 54° Warm afternoons, cool nights, and a Gulf that bites.
- Naples FL 75° / 56° Sun every day, and a jacket for the sunset.
- South Padre Island TX 73° / 53° Beach-walking weather, not beach-lying weather.
- Sarasota FL 73° / 52° Blue skies, brisk nights, water strictly for looking at.
- Orlando FL 72° / 50° Sweater mornings, shirtsleeve afternoons — winter, Florida style.
- Tampa FL 71° / 53° Cool enough at night to want the extra blanket.
- Clearwater FL 71° / 53° Warm enough for the beach, cold enough to stay out of the Gulf.
- Palm Springs CA 71° / 48° Sun all day, and a coat the second it sets.
Mild
31 places
- Daytona Beach FL 69° / 49° Wind off the Atlantic sharpens a mild afternoon.
- Anaheim CA 69° / 46° Bright between storms, and the parks are blissfully quiet.
- Los Angeles CA 68° / 49° Rain comes in storms, then the mountains show up.
- Corpus Christi TX 68° / 48° Fishing weather, not swimming weather — the bay runs cold.
- Phoenix AZ 68° / 46° Sunglasses at breakfast, light jacket at dinner — desert winter.
- St. Augustine FL 68° / 48° Genuine winter — coat in the morning, sun by afternoon.
- Death Valley CA 67° / 43° Warm walking weather and nights cold enough for stars.
- Tucson AZ 67° / 41° Warm middays, cold clear nights, mountains dusted white above.
- San Diego CA 66° / 50° Winter here means a jacket and a chance of rain.
- Panama City Beach FL 64° / 43° Off-season quiet, with frost some mornings.
- Santa Barbara CA 64° / 41° Storm days, then the clearest views of the islands.
- Houston TX 64° / 44° Damp and grey, then abruptly warm — winter can't commit.
- San Antonio TX 63° / 41° Cool and grey some days, shirtsleeve and gold on others.
- Galveston TX 63° / 49° Cold wind off the water and the seawall to yourself.
- Destin FL 63° / 45° Cool and damp — this is not the tropics.
- Pensacola FL 63° / 44° Cold rain happens here — bring a real coat.
- Austin TX 63° / 42° Mild, damp, and miserable if cedar pollen finds you.
- Monterey CA 62° / 43° Storm surf, empty beaches, and the trees full of butterflies.
- Savannah GA 61° / 40° Cool, quiet, and yours — the squares empty out completely.
- Santa Cruz CA 61° / 40° Big swell, hard rain, and the town all to itself.
- Gulf Shores AL 61° / 42° Snowbird season: sweaters, shelling, and long empty sand.
- New Orleans LA 61° / 47° Damp, gray, and cool enough to want a real coat.
- Hilton Head Island SC 60° / 40° Chilly mornings, easy afternoons, no lines at anything.
- El Paso TX 59° / 35° Easy sun, cold nights, and bouldering season in full swing.
- Las Vegas NV 59° / 41° Blue skies with a bite: this is hiking season.
- Sedona AZ 58° / 34° Cold mornings, gentle afternoons, and the rocks at their reddest.
- Charleston SC 58° / 44° Mild for the season, and the carriage lines are short.
- San Francisco CA 58° / 47° The wet heart of winter — waterproof shoes beat an umbrella.
- Napa CA 57° / 38° Bare vines, wet roads, and tasting rooms you can hear yourself in.
- Dallas TX 57° / 36° Cold snaps arrive from nowhere and leave just as fast.
- Myrtle Beach SC 56° / 37° Boardwalk shuttered, beach wide open, wind off the water.
Crisp
29 places
- Atlanta GA 54° / 36° Cold rain more often than cold sun.
- Zion National Park UT 54° / 30° Cold mornings, kind afternoons, and the canyon almost to yourself.
- Charlotte NC 52° / 32° The trees are bare and the sky matches them.
- Memphis TN 51° / 33° Gray and raw; the river looks colder than it is.
- Outer Banks NC 51° / 36° Cold, loud with wind, and completely, beautifully deserted.
- Virginia Beach VA 50° / 32° Cold, windy, and the Boardwalk belongs to runners.
- Nashville TN 49° / 30° The only month Broadway lets you walk straight in.
- Williamsburg VA 49° / 31° Frozen ground, short days, and no one in line.
- Albuquerque NM 48° / 26° Thin, dry cold with brilliant sun and a white mountain.
- Seattle WA 48° / 38° Damp, mild, and dim — the Big Dark at full depth.
- Reno NV 48° / 26° Cold and bright, with powder forty minutes up the hill.
- Asheville NC 48° / 29° Real winter up here, and the town breathes again.
- Yosemite Valley CA 48° / 29° Snowbound and quiet — the falls run in ribbons of ice.
- Portland OR 48° / 36° Steady drizzle, mild air, no drama unless the Gorge wind arrives.
- Branson MO 47° / 27° The quietest the Ozarks get — most marquees are dark.
- Gatlinburg TN 47° / 27° Quiet enough to hear the river over the road.
- Denver CO 47° / 18° Cold and bright — the sun lies, the shade tells truth.
- Colorado Springs CO 45° / 19° Dry as paper, bright as glass, cold once the sun tips.
- Ocean City MD 45° / 28° Wind off the water, boarded-up windows, endless empty sand.
- Washington, DC DC 45° / 30° Proper winter, and the whole city has elbow room.
- Grand Canyon AZ 44° / 19° The rim wears snow and almost nobody is there.
- Santa Fe NM 44° / 20° Wickedly cold at daybreak, kind by early afternoon.
- Moab UT 44° / 21° The desert freezes at night and nobody is here.
- Flagstaff AZ 43° / 18° Deep snow, hard freezes, and the ski hill running.
- Atlantic City NJ 43° / 25° Wind with teeth, and the boardwalk to yourself.
- South Lake Tahoe CA 43° / 18° Deep winter — check the pass before you leave home.
- Bend OR 43° / 25° Snow falls in bursts between days of hard sunshine.
- Philadelphia PA 41° / 26° Hard cold and low grey light; dress like you mean it.
- St. Louis MO 40° / 24° Cold without much drama, unless ice gets involved.
Deep winter
26 places
- Cape Cod MA 40° / 24° Half the Cape is closed; the beaches are yours.
- New York City NY 40° / 28° Wind funnels down the avenues; bring the serious coat.
- Park City UT 39° / 13° Bitter nights, brighter afternoons, and Sundance taking over Main Street.
- Boise ID 39° / 26° Cold, gray, and lidded — the valley traps its own air.
- Salt Lake City UT 39° / 24° Gray soup in the valley, blinding sunshine up the canyon.
- Newport RI 38° / 24° Windswept and mostly closed, but the Cliff Walk is spectacular.
- Durango CO 38° / 10° Frigid dawns that soften into a bright, bearable afternoon.
- Boston MA 37° / 23° Bitter by the water; the wind does the real damage.
- Bozeman MT 34° / 15° Deep cold, dry snow, and a town built for it.
- Juneau AK 33° / 24° Wet snow, low light, and a town entirely to locals.
- Bar Harbor ME 33° / 15° Nearly every night freezes and the town has gone home.
- Portland, Maine ME 32° / 16° Deep, reliable snow and a cold that means it.
- Aspen CO 32° / 10° Deep, cold, and dry — the snow squeaks underfoot.
- Chicago IL 32° / 19° Wind off the lake does the real damage — dress for it.
- Niagara Falls NY 32° / 17° Ice-crusted railings, frozen mist, and hardly anyone there.
- Yellowstone WY 31° / 12° Roads closed, geysers steaming, and wolves easier to find.
- Burlington VT 29° / 13° Snow most days, in small helpful doses. Ski country weather.
- Traverse City MI 28° / 15° Deep snow, short days, and ski trails groomed nightly.
- Mackinac Island MI 27° / 9° Snowmobiles on the streets and no ferry to speak of.
- Jackson Hole WY 26° / 6° Serious cold and serious snow — the valley's whole personality.
- Door County WI 25° / 10° Ice sculpting the shoreline, and hardly anyone around to see it.
- Minneapolis MN 24° / 9° Cold you dress for, not cold you hide from.
- Lake Placid NY 23° / 7° Every single night freezes. This is the real thing.
- Anchorage AK 23° / 11° Deep winter, short light — dress for it and it's lovely.
- Denali National Park AK 10° / -6° Nothing open, nothing moving, and the range utterly still.
- Fairbanks AK 1° / -17° Serious cold, still air, and skies that pay you back.
Warm water this month
Snow you can mostly count on
- Traverse City 32.3 in
- Aspen 28.1 in
- Juneau 24.5 in
- Burlington 21.1 in
- Lake Placid 21.0 in
- Flagstaff 20.9 in
- Jackson Hole 19.1 in
- Portland, Maine 18.6 in
- Door County 15.6 in
- Boston 14.3 in
- Park City 14.0 in
- Grand Canyon 12.9 in
- Salt Lake City 12.7 in
- Bozeman 12.7 in
- Anchorage 12.4 in
- Yellowstone 11.5 in
- Chicago 11.3 in
- Minneapolis 11.0 in
- Fairbanks 10.2 in
- Denali National Park 9.6 in
- New York City 8.8 in
- Philadelphia 7.1 in
- Bend 6.4 in
- Denver 6.4 in
The coldest places aren’t the snowiest ones, and that’s no accident — can it be too cold to snow?