Carlsbad weather in January

In January, Carlsbad sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 2.9 in of rain across 5.8 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 64°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Carlsbad's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carlsbad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
10th warmest
Overnight low
47°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2.9 in
5.8 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
6:58 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
45%
10th clearest
Wind
4 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Carlsbad is coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States.

Density
1,133/km²
people per km²
Founded
1952

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 64°F through the month.

A typical January day in Carlsbad reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 74°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16446
26446
36446
46446
56446
66446
76447
86447
96447
106447
116447
126447
136447
146447
156447
166447
176447
186447
196447
206447
216447
226447
236447
246447
256447
266447
276447
286447
296447
306447
316547

Carlsbad weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan64° / 47°2.95.810.16.7
Feb64° / 48°3.66.810.86.4
Mar65° / 50°2.26.211.76.8
Apr68° / 53°1.14.112.87.5
May71° / 56°0.52.113.78.1
Jun75° / 60°0.10.514.19.1
Jul80° / 65°0.10.4148.8
Aug82° / 66°0.00.213.28.5
Sep81° / 64°0.10.712.28.6
Oct76° / 59°0.72.611.28.7
Nov70° / 52°1.13.510.37.9
Dec64° / 47°2.15.19.86.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26139
36040
46040
56040
66040
76040
86040
96040
106238
116238
126238
136238
146238
156139
166139
176139
186139
196139
206040
216040
226040
236040
246040
256040
266139
276139
286139
296238
306238
316139

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Carlsbad gets around 2.9 in of rain over 5.8 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 18% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
219
319
420
520
619
719
819
919
1018
1118
1218
1317
1417
1517
1617
1717
1817
1917
2018
2118
2218
2318
2418
2518
2618
2719
2819
2919
3019
3119

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 98% 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
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11973
12973
13973
14973
15973
16973
17973
18973
19973
20973
21973
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 4 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 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 6:57 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 5:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:574:48
29.96:574:49
39.96:584:49
49.96:584:50
59.96:584:51
69.96:584:51
79.96:584:52
89.96:584:53
99.96:584:54
109.96:584:55
1110.06:584:55
1210.06:584:56
1310.06:584:57
1410.06:584:58
1510.06:584:59
1610.06:585:00
1710.06:585:01
1810.16:575:01
1910.16:575:02
2010.16:575:03
2110.16:575:04
2210.16:565:05
2310.26:565:06
2410.26:555:07
2510.26:555:08
2610.26:555:09
2710.36:545:10
2810.36:545:11
2910.36:535:12
3010.36:535:12
3110.46:525:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.08 kWh/m² to a high of 7.96 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.27 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Carlsbad?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Carlsbad for sightseeing.

What to pack for Carlsbad in January

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

In January, Carlsbad sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 47°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 6 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Carlsbad in January

The nearest coast averages about 59°F 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 71°F and coldest in January near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 5 to Oct 7 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan59Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar60Cool
Apr61Cool
May64Cool
Jun66Cool
Jul69Refreshing
Aug71Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec61Cool

UV index in Carlsbad in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Carlsbad peaks around July 11 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 11UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Carlsbad 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 Carlsbad is worst in September — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateSep 1625 µg/m³May 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May8Good
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug15Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Carlsbad?

Carlsbad sits at 33.2°N, 117.4°W, 52 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Oceanside, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Carlsbad

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Carlsbad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 344 ft around an average of 56 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,335 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,624 ft.

The land around Carlsbad is covered by water (48%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 2 miles, water (47%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 10 miles, and water (33%) and shrubs (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
344 ft
10 miles
1,335 ft
50 miles
6,624 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Oceanside 3.1 mi · Vista 6.8 mi · Encinitas 9.3 mi · San Marcos 11 mi · Escondido 16 mi · Fallbrook 16 mi · Rancho Penasquitos 19 mi · Mira Mesa 21 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 Carlsbad (33.1581°, -117.3506°, elevation 52 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).