Escondido weather in January

In January, Escondido sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 2.9 in of rain across 6.2 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 49% 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 Escondido's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Escondido's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
10th warmest
Overnight low
44°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
2.9 in
6.2 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
6:57 AM – 4:59 PM
Cloud cover
45%
10th clearest
Wind
4 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Escondido is city in San Diego County, United States.

Density
1,566/km²
people per km²
Founded
1888

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 Escondido reaches about 64°F in the afternoon and slips back to 44°F overnight — a 20°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)
16444
26444
36444
46444
56444
66444
76444
86444
96444
106444
116444
126444
136444
146545
156545
166545
176545
186545
196545
206545
216545
226545
236545
246545
256545
266545
276545
286545
296545
306545
316545

Escondido 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° / 44°2.96.210.16.7
Feb64° / 46°3.87.410.86.3
Mar66° / 48°2.56.411.76.8
Apr69° / 51°1.24.412.87.6
May72° / 55°0.62.613.78.3
Jun77° / 59°0.10.614.19.2
Jul81° / 64°0.11148.6
Aug83° / 65°0.10.513.27.9
Sep82° / 63°0.2112.28.3
Oct77° / 57°0.82.811.28.6
Nov70° / 50°1.33.710.37.9
Dec64° / 44°2.35.49.96.7

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 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36040
46040
55941
66040
76040
86040
96040
106040
116040
126139
136139
146139
156139
166139
176139
186139
196139
206139
216139
226139
236139
246139
256139
266139
276139
286238
296238
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Escondido gets around 2.9 in of rain over 6.2 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 20% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
120
220
321
421
521
621
721
821
920
1020
1120
1219
1319
1419
1519
1619
1719
1819
1919
2019
2119
2219
2319
2419
2519
2620
2720
2820
2920
3020
3120

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
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
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 6:56 AM to 6:51 AM, and sunset from 4:47 PM to 5:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:564:47
29.96:564:48
39.96:574:48
49.96:574:49
59.96:574:50
69.96:574:50
79.96:574:51
89.96:574:52
99.96:574:53
109.96:574:54
1110.06:574:54
1210.06:574:55
1310.06:574:56
1410.06:574:57
1510.06:574:58
1610.06:574:59
1710.16:565:00
1810.16:565:00
1910.16:565:01
2010.16:565:02
2110.16:555:03
2210.26:555:04
2310.26:555:05
2410.26:545:06
2510.26:545:07
2610.26:535:08
2710.36:535:09
2810.36:535:10
2910.36:525:11
3010.36:515:11
3110.46:515:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.13 kWh/m² to a high of 8.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.33 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
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.3Moderate
143.3Moderate
153.3Moderate
163.3Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.4Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Escondido?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
2.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Escondido for sightseeing.

What to pack for Escondido in January

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

In January, Escondido sees daytime highs around 64°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Escondido 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 at the nearest coast (about 17 mi away) 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 Escondido 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 Escondido 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 Escondido 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 Escondido 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 Escondido?

Escondido sits at 33.1°N, 117.1°W, 646 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is San Marcos, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Escondido

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Escondido has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 ft around an average of 696 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,799 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,724 ft.

The land around Escondido is covered by artificial surfaces (80%) within 2 miles, trees (34%), shrubs (24%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (29%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
354 ft
10 miles
2,799 ft
50 miles
8,724 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: San Marcos 5.0 mi · Vista 11 mi · Rancho Penasquitos 11 mi · Poway 11 mi · Encinitas 13 mi · Ramona 14 mi · Mira Mesa 14 mi · Carlsbad 16 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 Escondido (33.1192°, -117.0864°, elevation 646 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).