Madera weather in January

In January, Madera sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 3.8 in of rain across 7.5 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 60°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 Madera's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madera's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
11th warmest
Overnight low
40°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
3.8 in
7.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:18 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
54%
12th clearest
Wind
4 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
2.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Madera is county seat of Madera County, California, United States.

Density
1,570/km²
people per km²
Founded
1907

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 57°F in the first days to 60°F by the end.

A typical January day in Madera reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 52°F and 65°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)
15739
25739
35739
45739
55739
65840
75840
85840
95840
105840
115840
125840
135840
145840
155840
165840
175940
185940
195940
205940
215940
225940
235940
245940
256041
266041
276041
286041
296041
306041
316141

How January really feels in Madera

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.

Madera 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
Jan59° / 40°3.87.59.84.8
Feb62° / 43°3.4810.65.7
Mar68° / 47°3.37.511.76.8
Apr74° / 51°1.44.512.97.9
May83° / 57°0.82.613.97.4
Jun91° / 64°0.20.714.54.8
Jul97° / 69°0.10.314.32.8
Aug96° / 68°0.00.213.43.2
Sep90° / 63°0.10.412.35.4
Oct79° / 54°0.92.2118.3
Nov67° / 45°1.64.4107.2
Dec58° / 40°3.179.54.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34852
44852
54951
64951
74951
85050
95149
105149
115248
125248
135248
145347
155347
165347
175347
185347
195347
205347
215248
225149
235149
245149
255149
265149
275149
285149
295149
305248
315347

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Madera gets around 3.8 in of rain over 7.5 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 24% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
325
425
525
624
724
824
924
1024
1124
1224
1324
1424
1524
1624
1725
1825
1925
2025
2125
2225
2325
2425
2525
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

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 (%)
11000
21000
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
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 7:18 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:49 PM to 5:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:184:49
29.57:184:49
39.57:194:50
49.57:194:51
59.57:194:52
69.67:194:52
79.67:194:53
89.67:194:54
99.67:194:55
109.67:194:56
119.67:194:57
129.67:194:58
139.77:184:58
149.77:184:59
159.77:185:00
169.77:185:01
179.77:185:02
189.87:175:03
199.87:175:04
209.87:165:05
219.87:165:06
229.97:165:07
239.97:155:08
249.97:155:09
259.97:145:10
2610.07:145:11
2710.07:135:12
2810.07:135:13
2910.07:125:15
3010.17:115:16
3110.17:115:17

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.44 kWh/m² to a high of 8.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.6 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
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Madera?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Madera for sightseeing.

What to pack for Madera in January

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

In January, Madera sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Madera 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 Madera peaks around June 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 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 highVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Madera 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 Madera is worst in September — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateSep 1828 µg/m³Jun 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr12Good
May9Good
Jun7Good
Jul23Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Madera?

Madera sits at 37.0°N, 120.1°W, 272 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Chowchilla, 16 mi away.

Topography around Madera

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Madera has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 ft around an average of 269 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,229 ft.

The land around Madera is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) within 2 miles, trees (35%), cropland (29%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and grassland (40%), trees (30%) and cropland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
69 ft
10 miles
220 ft
50 miles
9,229 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Chowchilla 16 mi · Fresno 22 mi · Clovis 22 mi · Sanger 33 mi · Merced 33 mi · Selma 37 mi · Parlier 38 mi · Atwater 40 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 Madera (36.9613°, -120.0607°, elevation 272 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).