Big Sur weather in January

In January, Big Sur sees average daytime highs of 55°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 5.1 in of rain across 9.3 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 55°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Big Sur's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Big Sur's year-round climate.

Daytime high
55°
10th warmest
Overnight low
46°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
5.1 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:23 AM – 5:10 PM
Cloud cover
54%
12th clearest
Wind
8 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
2.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Big Sur is region in Monterey County, California, United States.

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 55°F through the month.

A typical January day in Big Sur reaches about 55°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 62°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)
15546
25546
35546
45546
55546
65546
75546
85546
95546
105546
115546
125546
135546
145546
155546
165546
175546
185546
195546
205546
215546
225546
235546
245546
255546
265546
275546
285546
295546
305546
315546

Big Sur weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan55° / 46°5.19.39.83.7
Feb55° / 46°4.89.310.63.6
Mar56° / 46°3.48.311.74.1
Apr57° / 47°1.75.712.94.7
May59° / 49°0.72.613.95.8
Jun63° / 51°0.10.414.47.4
Jul66° / 54°0.00.114.28.3
Aug67° / 55°0.10.313.48.5
Sep67° / 55°0.10.612.28.4
Oct65° / 53°0.92.411.17.6
Nov59° / 49°2.26.110.15.3
Dec55° / 46°4.59.29.63.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
74951
84951
94951
105050
115050
124951
134951
144951
154951
165050
175149
185149
195149
205050
215050
225149
235149
245050
255149
265149
275149
285050
295050
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Big Sur gets around 5.1 in of rain over 9.3 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 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
329
429
529
628
728
828
927
1027
1127
1228
1328
1428
1529
1630
1730
1831
1932
2032
2132
2233
2333
2433
2533
2632
2732
2832
2931
3031
3130

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:23 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 4:57 PM to 5:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:234:57
29.67:244:58
39.67:244:59
49.67:245:00
59.67:245:00
69.67:245:01
79.67:245:02
89.67:245:03
99.77:245:04
109.77:245:05
119.77:245:05
129.77:245:06
139.77:245:07
149.77:235:08
159.87:235:09
169.87:235:10
179.87:235:11
189.87:225:12
199.87:225:13
209.97:225:14
219.97:215:15
229.97:215:16
239.97:215:17
2410.07:205:18
2510.07:205:19
2610.07:195:20
2710.07:195:21
2810.17:185:22
2910.17:175:23
3010.17:175:24
3110.17:165:25

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.59 kWh/m² to a high of 8.18 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.79 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.1Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Big Sur

In seasonPeak

In January, Big Sur sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Big Sur's rainy season runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Big Sur?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Big Sur.

What to pack for Big Sur in January

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

In January, Big Sur sees daytime highs around 55°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Big Sur in January

The nearest coast averages about 55°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 8 mi away) is warmest in September at about 59°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan55Bracing
Feb55Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep59Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov57Bracing
Dec56Bracing

UV index in Big Sur in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Big Sur peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Big Sur 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 Big Sur is worst in September — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 7.0× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1027 µg/m³Dec 174 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb5Good
Mar5Good
Apr5Good
May5Good
Jun5Good
Jul16Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct6Good
Nov4Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Big Sur?

Big Sur sits at 36.3°N, 121.8°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Monterey, 24 mi away.

Topography around Big Sur

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Big Sur has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,455 ft around an average of 1,145 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,918 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,758 ft.

The land around Big Sur is covered by trees (77%) within 2 miles, water (45%) and trees (43%) within 10 miles, and water (40%), grassland (27%) and trees (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
3,455 ft
10 miles
4,918 ft
50 miles
5,758 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Monterey 24 mi · Seaside 24 mi · Pacific Grove 25 mi · Marina 29 mi · Soledad 29 mi · Salinas 29 mi · Greenfield 32 mi · Prunedale 36 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 Big Sur (36.2702°, -121.8075°, elevation 0 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).