Atascadero weather in January

In January, Atascadero sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 7.1 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 59°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Atascadero's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Atascadero's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
11th warmest
Overnight low
43°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
7.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:17 AM – 5:07 PM
Cloud cover
50%
11th clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Atascadero is city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States.

Density
441/km²
people per km²
Founded
1979

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 59°F through the month.

A typical January day in Atascadero reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55842
65942
75942
85942
95943
105943
115943
125943
135943
145943
155943
165943
175943
185943
195943
205943
215943
225943
235943
245943
255943
266043
276043
286043
296043
306043
316043

Atascadero weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan59° / 43°3.37.19.95.0
Feb60° / 44°3.37.710.75.2
Mar63° / 46°2.56.411.76.3
Apr67° / 48°0.93.512.97.5
May71° / 51°0.41.713.88.5
Jun76° / 55°0.10.414.49.4
Jul79° / 59°0.00.114.29.2
Aug80° / 59°0.00.213.39.1
Sep78° / 57°0.10.412.29.2
Oct73° / 53°0.7211.18.8
Nov65° / 47°1.13.610.17.1
Dec59° / 42°2.56.29.65.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35545
45545
55545
65545
75644
85644
95743
105743
115743
125842
135842
145842
155941
165941
175842
185842
195842
205842
215842
225842
235842
245842
255842
265842
275842
285842
295842
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Atascadero gets around 3.3 in of rain over 7.1 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 23% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
223
323
423
523
623
723
823
923
1023
1123
1223
1323
1423
1523
1624
1724
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2423
2523
2623
2723
2823
2922
3022
3122

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 5 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:17 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:174:55
29.67:174:56
39.77:174:56
49.77:174:57
59.77:174:58
69.77:174:59
79.77:175:00
89.77:175:00
99.77:175:01
109.77:175:02
119.87:175:03
129.87:175:04
139.87:175:05
149.87:175:06
159.87:175:06
169.87:175:07
179.97:165:08
189.97:165:09
199.97:165:10
209.97:155:11
2110.07:155:12
2210.07:155:13
2310.07:145:14
2410.07:145:15
2510.07:135:16
2610.17:135:17
2710.17:125:18
2810.17:125:19
2910.17:115:20
3010.27:115:21
3110.27:105:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.72 kWh/m² to a high of 8.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.91 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.8Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.1Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.3Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Atascadero?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Atascadero for sightseeing.

What to pack for Atascadero in January

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

In January, Atascadero sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Atascadero in January

The nearest coast averages about 56°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 14 mi away) is warmest in September at about 60°F and coldest in April near 54°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

52°54°56°58°60°62°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan56Bracing
Feb56Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun56Bracing
Jul58Bracing
Aug59Cool
Sep60Cool
Oct60Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec57Bracing

UV index in Atascadero in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Atascadero peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Dec 14UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Atascadero in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Atascadero is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (June, 4 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2218 µg/m³Jun 124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May5Good
Jun4Good
Jul7Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Atascadero?

Atascadero sits at 35.5°N, 120.7°W, 879 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Paso Robles, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Atascadero

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Atascadero has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 600 ft around an average of 948 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,549 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,698 ft.

The land around Atascadero is covered by trees (39%), grassland (35%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, grassland (56%) and trees (33%) within 10 miles, and grassland (54%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
600 ft
10 miles
2,549 ft
50 miles
4,698 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Paso Robles 9.3 mi · San Luis Obispo 14 mi · Arroyo Grande 26 mi · Nipomo 33 mi · Santa Maria 39 mi · Orcutt 45 mi · Coalinga 48 mi · Lompoc 60 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 Atascadero (35.4894°, -120.6707°, elevation 879 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. 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).