Hollister weather in January

In January, Hollister sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 8.1 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 58°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Hollister's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hollister's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
11th warmest
Overnight low
41°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
8.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:23 AM – 5:07 PM
Cloud cover
55%
11th clearest
Wind
4 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Hollister is city in and county seat of San Benito County, California, United States.

Density
1,984/km²
people per km²
Founded
1868

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 58°F through the month.

A typical January day in Hollister reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 51°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°F cooler than February.

30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15740
25740
35740
45740
55840
65840
75840
85840
95841
105841
115841
125841
135841
145841
155841
165841
175841
185841
195841
205841
215841
225941
235941
245941
255941
265941
275941
285942
295942
305942
316042

Hollister weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 41°3.48.19.84.6
Feb60° / 42°3.48.710.64.9
Mar62° / 44°2.78.411.75.7
Apr65° / 46°1.2512.96.8
May68° / 49°0.62.813.97.9
Jun73° / 52°0.10.414.59.1
Jul77° / 56°0.00.214.39.4
Aug77° / 56°0.10.313.49.3
Sep76° / 54°0.10.512.39.4
Oct72° / 50°0.72.2118.6
Nov64° / 44°1.54.7106.6
Dec58° / 40°3.07.89.54.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24654
34753
44753
54753
64753
74753
84852
94951
104951
114951
124951
135050
145050
155050
165149
175149
185248
195149
205248
215149
225248
235149
245149
255050
265149
275149
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Hollister gets around 3.4 in of rain over 8.1 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 26% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
325
425
525
624
724
824
924
1024
1125
1225
1325
1426
1527
1627
1728
1828
1929
2029
2129
2229
2329
2428
2528
2628
2727
2827
2927
3027
3127

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
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
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 30 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:23 AM to 7:16 AM, and sunset from 4:54 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:234:54
29.57:234:55
39.57:244:56
49.57:244:56
59.67:244:57
69.67:244:58
79.67:244:59
89.67:245:00
99.67:245:01
109.67:245:01
119.67:245:02
129.77:245:03
139.77:245:04
149.77:235:05
159.77:235:06
169.77:235:07
179.87:235:08
189.87:225:09
199.87:225:10
209.87:225:11
219.87:215:12
229.97:215:13
239.97:205:14
249.97:205:15
259.97:195:16
2610.07:195:17
2710.07:185:18
2810.07:185:19
2910.17:175:20
3010.17:165:21
3110.17:165:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 8 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.66 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.7Moderate
172.7Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Hollister?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Hollister for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hollister in January

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

In January, Hollister sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Hollister 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 26 mi away) is warmest in September at about 58°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
Sep58Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov56Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Hollister 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 Hollister peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Hollister 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 Hollister is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1920 µg/m³Jun 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun5Good
Jul8Good
Aug22Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hollister?

Hollister sits at 36.9°N, 121.4°W, 289 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Gilroy, 14 mi away.

Topography around Hollister

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hollister has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 292 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,409 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,843 ft.

The land around Hollister is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and cropland (34%) within 2 miles, grassland (55%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
3,409 ft
50 miles
5,843 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Gilroy 14 mi · Prunedale 16 mi · Salinas 19 mi · Watsonville 20 mi · Morgan Hill 24 mi · Marina 25 mi · Soledad 30 mi · Seaside 30 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 Hollister (36.8524°, -121.4016°, elevation 289 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).