Lincoln weather in January

In January, Lincoln sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 6.4 in of precipitation across 10.5 wet days and about 9.6 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 59°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Lincoln's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lincoln's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
11th warmest
Overnight low
40°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
6.4 in
10.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
7:28 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
58%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Lincoln is city in Placer County, California, United States.

Density
919/km²
people per km²
Founded
1890

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 59°F by the end.

A typical January day in Lincoln reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15538
25538
35538
45639
55639
65639
75639
85639
95639
105639
115639
125640
135640
145740
155740
165740
175740
185740
195740
205740
215740
225840
235840
245840
255840
265840
275840
285940
295940
305941
315941

How January really feels in Lincoln

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.

Lincoln 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
Jan57° / 40°6.410.59.64.0
Feb61° / 42°6.01010.54.9
Mar65° / 45°5.310.211.76.0
Apr71° / 48°2.66.9137.2
May79° / 54°1.54.614.17.8
Jun88° / 60°0.31.414.75.8
Jul93° / 64°0.00.114.44.2
Aug92° / 63°0.00.213.54.6
Sep87° / 59°0.20.812.36.3
Oct77° / 51°1.83.5118.3
Nov64° / 43°3.67.49.96.2
Dec56° / 39°6.611.19.33.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34456
44456
54456
64456
74555
84456
94555
104456
114357
124456
134456
144555
154555
164555
174555
184555
194654
204654
214555
224654
234555
244555
254654
264654
274654
284555
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Lincoln gets around 6.4 in of rain and snow over 10.5 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 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
334
434
534
634
733
833
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1533
1634
1734
1834
1935
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2635
2734
2834
2934
3033
3133

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
6991
7991
8991
9991
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 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 18 min at the start of January to 10 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:29 AM to 7:20 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 5:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.37:294:48
29.37:294:49
39.37:294:49
49.37:294:50
59.47:294:51
69.47:294:52
79.47:294:53
89.47:294:54
99.47:294:54
109.47:294:55
119.57:294:56
129.57:294:57
139.57:294:58
149.57:284:59
159.57:285:00
169.67:285:01
179.67:275:02
189.67:275:03
199.67:275:04
209.67:265:05
219.77:265:06
229.77:255:07
239.77:255:08
249.87:245:10
259.87:245:11
269.87:235:12
279.87:225:13
289.97:225:14
299.97:215:15
309.97:205:16
3110.07:205:17

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.23 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.04 kWh/m² to a high of 8.25 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.23 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.2Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.6Moderate
302.6Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Lincoln

In seasonPeak

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

Lincoln'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 Lincoln?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Lincoln for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lincoln in January

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

In January, Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln peaks around June 21 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 21UV 10Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec2Low

Air quality in Lincoln 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 Lincoln is worst in September — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.8× the cleanest month (June, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModeratePoorModerateSep 1140 µg/m³Jun 911 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul21Moderate
Aug37Poor
Sep41Poor
Oct21Moderate
Nov31Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lincoln?

Lincoln sits at 38.9°N, 121.3°W, 167 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rocklin, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Lincoln

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lincoln has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 ft around an average of 167 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,581 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,605 ft.

The land around Lincoln is covered by grassland (41%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (27%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%), grassland (25%) and cropland (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
184 ft
10 miles
1,581 ft
50 miles
7,605 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Rocklin 7.5 mi · Roseville 9.9 mi · Granite Bay 11 mi · Citrus Heights 13 mi · Antelope 13 mi · North Highlands 15 mi · Foothill Farms 15 mi · Orangevale 15 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 Lincoln (38.8916°, -121.293°, elevation 167 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).