Encinitas weather in January

In January, Encinitas sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 2.7 in of rain across 5.9 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 62°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of January to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Encinitas's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Encinitas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
11th warmest
Overnight low
49°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2.7 in
5.9 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
6:57 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
45%
10th clearest
Wind
5 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Encinitas is city in San Diego County, California, United States.

Density
1,216/km²
people per km²
Founded
1986

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 62°F through the month.

A typical January day in Encinitas reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 57°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16249
26249
36249
46249
56249
66249
76249
86249
96249
106249
116249
126349
136349
146349
156349
166349
176349
186349
196349
206349
216349
226349
236349
246349
256349
266349
276349
286349
296349
306349
316349

Encinitas 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 daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan62° / 49°2.75.910.16.2
Feb62° / 50°3.46.710.86.0
Mar63° / 52°2.25.911.76.4
Apr65° / 55°1.03.512.87.3
May67° / 58°0.51.813.77.8
Jun70° / 60°0.10.414.18.7
Jul74° / 64°0.10.5149.3
Aug76° / 66°0.00.113.29.5
Sep75° / 65°0.10.612.29.3
Oct72° / 60°0.72.411.28.5
Nov67° / 54°1.13.410.37.6
Dec63° / 50°2.15.39.96.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% 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 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36139
46139
56139
66139
76139
86238
96238
106238
116238
126337
136337
146337
156238
166238
176238
186337
196337
206238
216238
226238
236337
246337
256337
266337
276436
286436
296436
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Encinitas gets around 2.7 in of rain over 5.9 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 19% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
219
320
420
520
620
719
819
919
1019
1119
1218
1318
1418
1518
1618
1718
1818
1918
2018
2118
2219
2319
2419
2519
2619
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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2973
3973
4973
5973
6964
7964
8964
9964
10955
11955
12955
13955
14955
15955
16955
17955
18955
19964
20964
21964
22964
23973
24973
25973
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

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 54 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 30 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)
19.96:574:48
29.96:574:49
39.96:574:49
49.96:574:50
59.96:574:51
69.96:584:52
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
1510.06:574:59
1610.06:575:00
1710.16:575:01
1810.16:575:01
1910.16:575:02
2010.16:565:03
2110.16:565:04
2210.26:565:05
2310.26:555:06
2410.26:555:07
2510.26:555:08
2610.26:545:09
2710.36:545:10
2810.36:535:11
2910.36:535:12
3010.36:525:12
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 3.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.11 kWh/m² to a high of 7.93 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.3 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.3Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Encinitas?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Encinitas for sightseeing.

What to pack for Encinitas in January

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

In January, Encinitas sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Encinitas 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 Encinitas 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 Encinitas 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 Encinitas 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 Encinitas 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 Encinitas?

Encinitas sits at 33.0°N, 117.3°W, 82 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Carlsbad, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Encinitas

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Encinitas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 ft around an average of 108 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,690 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,430 ft.

The land around Encinitas is covered by water (49%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 2 miles, water (49%) within 10 miles, and water (33%) and shrubs (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
407 ft
10 miles
1,690 ft
50 miles
6,430 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Carlsbad 9.3 mi · San Marcos 11 mi · Rancho Penasquitos 12 mi · Vista 12 mi · Mira Mesa 12 mi · Oceanside 12 mi · La Jolla 13 mi · Escondido 13 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 Encinitas (33.037°, -117.292°, elevation 82 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).