San Sebastian weather in January

In January, San Sebastian sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 135 mm of precipitation across 15.4 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is San Sebastian's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Sebastian's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
12th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Precipitation
135 mm
15.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
8:43 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
1.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
out of 10

San Sebastian is capital city of the homonymous municipality of Comarca de San Sebastián, Spain.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month.

A typical January day in San Sebastian reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 14°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1116
2116
3116
4116
5116
6116
7116
8116
9116
10116
11106
12106
13106
14106
15106
16106
17106
18106
19106
20106
21106
22106
23106
24106
25106
26106
27106
28105
29105
30105
31105

San Sebastian weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan10° / 13515.41.29.22.1
Feb11° / 122141.910.22.3
Mar13° / 11513.90.911.63.2
Apr14° / 12716.10.113.23.5
May17° / 11°11715.4014.54.8
Jun20° / 14°9312.7015.15.8
Jul22° / 16°8212.7014.96.3
Aug23° / 17°8912.9013.86.5
Sep21° / 15°9613012.36.0
Oct18° / 12°12814.3010.85.2
Nov13° / 17015.70.29.53.3
Dec11° / 13815.10.88.82.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23268
33367
43367
53367
63367
73367
83466
93367
103367
113367
123268
133268
143169
153070
163070
173070
183070
192971
202971
212872
222872
232872
242872
252872
262872
272971
282971
293070
303070
313169

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

San Sebastian gets around 135 mm of rain and snow over 15.4 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 49% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1473
2473
3473
4473
5473
6474
7464
8463
9463
10463
11463
12473
13473
14473
15483
16483
17493
18503
19503
20513
21514
22524
23534
24535
25545
26545
27546
28546
29536
30536
31537

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 km/h in January.

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

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:46 AM to 8:33 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.88:465:36
28.98:465:37
38.98:465:38
48.98:465:39
58.98:465:40
68.98:465:41
78.98:465:41
88.98:465:42
99.08:465:43
109.08:455:44
119.08:455:45
129.08:455:47
139.08:455:48
149.18:445:49
159.18:445:50
169.18:435:51
179.28:435:52
189.28:435:53
199.28:425:54
209.28:415:56
219.38:415:57
229.38:405:58
239.38:405:59
249.48:396:00
259.48:386:02
269.48:376:03
279.58:376:04
289.58:366:06
299.58:356:07
309.68:346:08
319.68:336:09

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.38 kWh/m² to a high of 5.87 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 1.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.7Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit San Sebastian?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

2.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in San Sebastian.

What to pack for San Sebastian in January

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

In January, San Sebastian sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near San Sebastian in January

The nearest coast averages about 13°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 12°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 1 to Sep 25 — about 2.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan13Bracing
Feb12Bracing
Mar13Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May16Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec14Bracing

UV index in San Sebastian 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 San Sebastian peaks around July 15 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. 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 15UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Low
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is San Sebastian?

San Sebastian sits at 43.3°N, 2.0°W, 17 m above sea level, in Spain. The nearest listed city is Pasaia, 4.0 km away.

Topography around San Sebastian

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of San Sebastian.

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Sebastian has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 231 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 839 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,533 m.

The land around San Sebastian is covered by trees (39%), artificial surfaces (34%) and water (21%) within 3 km, trees (42%) and water (42%) within 16 km, and trees (47%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
231 m
16 km
839 m
80 km
1,533 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Pasaia 4.0 km · Hernani 5.0 km · Errenteria 6.0 km · Lasarte 6.0 km · Oria 7.0 km · Irun 15 km · Hondarribia 16 km · Zarautz 16 km

Spain travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$38,627
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 540
Religion
Roman Catholic 58%atheist 16%agnostic 11%non-believer 11%

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 San Sebastian (43.3128°, -1.975°, elevation 17 m), 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. 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).