What to Wear in Boston in January

Pack for the morning after a storm. NOAA's figures for Logan give January a 36.8°F afternoon and a 23.1°F night, which sounds manageable until you count the snow: 14.3 inches in an average January, up from 9.0 in December. It tends to arrive at once. National Weather Service storm reports logged 24.6 inches at the airport in the blizzard of 26 to 28 January 2015 and 23.8 inches at Logan on 28 and 29 January 2022. When the snow stops, the City of Boston gives property owners three hours to clear their sidewalks and asks for a path at least 42 inches wide, so your first walk of the day is through drifts and the rest run between snowbanks. That asks for a long waterproof parka with a hood, merino under a thick knit, lined boots with real tread and gloves that stay dry.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Khaki-tan knee-length waterproof insulated parka, hood

   A storm coat, not a city coat. Snow that lands on a wool overcoat melts into it on the walk indoors, and on a -5°C night you carry that damp back out again. A waterproof insulated shell to the knee sheds it, the hood stays up in wind that would turn an umbrella inside out, and khaki-tan hides the grey road spray that shows on black.

2. 
   02

   Kelly green cable-knit crew

   Wear one heavy knit with colour in it. Cables cross the yarn over itself, so a cable-knit crew holds more still air than a flat knit of the same weight, and kelly green is the brightest thing on a white street. On a North End evening it is the whole top half once the parka comes off, over a black merino collar.

3. 
   03

   Black merino crew base layer with thumbholes

   About 25 of January's 31 nights at Logan fall to freezing or below, so the base layer goes on every day. Thumbholes hold the sleeve down over your wrist when you pull on gloves, which closes the gap where snow gets in as you clear a bench or a car door. Merino stays warm when a storm day leaves it damp.

4. 
   04

   Washed charcoal-black straight jeans

   Straight enough to fall over a boot's shearling collar instead of bunching inside it, which is where slush gets in. Washed charcoal-black hides both the grey spray from the plough line and the white salt tide that dark indigo shows after one crossing, which matters on a long walking day from Back Bay to the Seaport.

5. 
   05

   Dark brown shearling-lined lace-up boots, lug sole

   Boston gives property owners three hours after the snow stops to clear their sidewalk, so the first walk after a storm is through uncleared snow. Dark brown leather laced over the ankle keeps it out, the shearling collar closes the top, and a deep lug grips the packed ridge the plough leaves at every crossing. Lace them tight before you leave the hotel.

6. 
   06

   Black lined leather gloves, knit cuff

   Keep them on outdoors. Leather grips a railing on an icy Beacon Hill step, the lining holds warmth while you clear a bench or a car door, and wet snow soaks knitted gloves within a block. The knit cuff tucks under the parka sleeve, so no wrist shows when you lean over a snowbank.

7. 
   07

   Grey cuffed wool beanie

   Ears go first in a January wind off the harbour. A dense grey wool beanie with a folded cuff puts two layers over them, sits close enough that the parka's hood goes up over it without pushing it off, and stays on indoors for the five minutes it takes a cold room to warm up.

8. 
   08

   Long fine charcoal melange scarf

   Wind the scarf twice before you step out. A long, fine charcoal melange scarf fills the gap between the parka collar and your chin, and a fine one packs under a zipped hood where a chunky scarf pushes the hood back off your head. Charcoal sits between the khaki and the black and never shows the salt.

9. 
   09

   Navy coated-canvas zip crossbody

   On a storm day you carry a dry pair of socks, and they have to stay dry. Coated canvas sheds snow that soaks a suede or open tote, the top zip stays shut when you lean over a snowbank, and the crossbody strap leaves both hands free for gloves and railings. Navy reads darker and cleaner than khaki against grey slush.

A suggested look — khaki hooded parka, kelly green cable-knit crew, charcoal wool beanie, charcoal fringed scarf, black leather gloves.

What to avoid

• Suede or canvas shoes — owners have three hours after the snow stops to clear the sidewalk
• Smooth soles — the City counts dozens of serious sidewalk falls every year
• A wool overcoat as your only coat — melting snow soaks into it on the walk in
• An umbrella — a hood holds in the wind and frees both hands
• Parking on a posted snow emergency artery — ticketed and towed during a declared emergency