Chico weather in January

In January, Chico sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 7.2 in of precipitation across 11.2 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 55°F in the first days to 58°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Chico's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chico's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
11th warmest
Overnight low
40°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
7.2 in
11.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:32 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Chico is city in Butte County, California, United States.

Density
1,416/km²
people per km²
Founded
1860

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 55°F in the first days to 58°F by the end.

A typical January day in Chico reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15539
25539
35539
45539
55540
65540
75640
85640
95640
105640
115640
125640
135640
145640
155640
165741
175741
185741
195741
205741
215741
225741
235741
245841
255841
265841
275841
285841
295841
305941
315941

How January really feels in Chico

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Chico weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan57° / 40°7.211.20.59.53.9
Feb60° / 42°6.910.20.710.44.6
Mar64° / 45°5.910.90.411.75.8
Apr70° / 49°2.97.40.2137.0
May80° / 55°1.95.1014.27.6
Jun89° / 63°0.61.8014.85.2
Jul96° / 67°0.00.1014.53.2
Aug94° / 65°0.10.3013.63.7
Sep88° / 60°0.31.2012.35.8
Oct77° / 52°2.03.8010.98.1
Nov64° / 44°4.180.29.85.9
Dec56° / 40°7.911.40.59.23.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24258
34258
44258
54357
64357
74258
84258
94258
104258
114258
124357
134357
144357
154357
164357
174357
184357
194357
204357
214456
224357
234357
244357
254357
264357
274357
284357
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Chico gets around 7.2 in of rain and snow over 11.2 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1342
2352
3352
4352
5352
6352
7352
8352
9352
10352
11352
12351
13361
14361
15361
16371
17371
18371
19381
20382
21382
22382
23372
24372
25372
26362
27362
28352
29342
30342
31332

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
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of January to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:34 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 5:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:344:47
29.27:344:48
39.37:344:49
49.37:344:50
59.37:344:51
69.37:344:51
79.37:344:52
89.37:344:53
99.37:344:54
109.47:344:55
119.47:344:56
129.47:334:57
139.47:334:58
149.47:334:59
159.57:335:00
169.57:325:01
179.57:325:02
189.57:325:03
199.67:315:04
209.67:315:05
219.67:305:06
229.67:305:07
239.77:295:09
249.77:295:10
259.77:285:11
269.77:275:12
279.87:275:13
289.87:265:14
299.87:255:15
309.97:255:16
319.97:245:18

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.94 kWh/m² to a high of 8.24 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.13 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Moderate
22.0Moderate
32.0Moderate
42.0Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.0Moderate
72.0Moderate
82.0Moderate
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.0Moderate
122.0Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.1Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.5Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Chico

In seasonPeak

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

Chico's rainy season runs November–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 Chico?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chico.

What to pack for Chico in January

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

In January, Chico sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Chico 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 Chico peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 22UV 10Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec2Low

Air quality in Chico 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 Chico is worst in July — around 64 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 8.2× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateJul 2363 µg/m³Dec 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul64Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep63Unhealthy
Oct17Moderate
Nov37Poor
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chico?

Chico sits at 39.7°N, 121.8°W, 197 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Paradise, 12 mi away.

Topography around Chico

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Chico has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 ft around an average of 207 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,860 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,772 ft.

The land around Chico is covered by trees (62%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and grassland (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (52%) and grassland (32%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
128 ft
10 miles
1,860 ft
50 miles
7,772 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Paradise 12 mi · Oroville 21 mi · Yuba City 42 mi · South Yuba City 43 mi · Linda 44 mi · Lincoln 65 mi · Redding 66 mi · Clearlake 68 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 Chico (39.7285°, -121.8375°, elevation 197 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. 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).