Rancho Santa Margarita weather in January

In January, Rancho Santa Margarita sees average daytime highs of 64°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 3.6 in of rain across 6.4 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-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 48% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Rancho Santa Margarita's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rancho Santa Margarita's year-round climate.

Daytime high
64°
11th warmest
Overnight low
44°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
3.6 in
6.4 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
47%
11th clearest
Wind
4 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Rancho Santa Margarita is city in Orange County, California, United States.

Density
1,466/km²
people per km²
Founded
2000

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 Rancho Santa Margarita 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 55°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)
16343
26343
36343
46343
56343
66343
76343
86443
96443
106443
116444
126444
136444
146444
156444
166444
176444
186444
196444
206444
216444
226444
236444
246444
256444
266444
276444
286444
296444
306544
316544

Rancho Santa Margarita 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
Jan64° / 44°3.66.4106.5
Feb64° / 46°4.46.810.76.4
Mar67° / 48°2.66.511.76.9
Apr71° / 51°1.23.912.87.9
May74° / 56°0.62.313.78.7
Jun80° / 60°0.10.614.28.6
Jul86° / 65°0.10.6146.7
Aug88° / 66°0.10.313.26.1
Sep85° / 64°0.21.312.26.9
Oct79° / 57°0.92.811.28.5
Nov70° / 49°1.23.210.38.0
Dec64° / 44°2.55.39.86.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35842
45842
55842
65941
75941
85941
95941
105941
116040
126139
136139
146040
156040
166040
176040
186040
196040
205941
215941
225941
235941
245941
255941
265941
276040
286040
296040
306040
316139

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Rancho Santa Margarita gets around 3.6 in of rain over 6.4 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 22% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
120
221
321
421
521
622
721
821
921
1021
1121
1221
1320
1420
1520
1620
1720
1820
1920
2020
2120
2220
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 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
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 48 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 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 7:00 AM to 6:54 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)
19.87:004:48
29.87:004:48
39.87:004:49
49.87:004:50
59.87:004:50
69.87:004:51
79.97:004:52
89.97:004:53
99.97:004:54
109.97:004:54
119.97:004:55
129.97:004:56
139.97:004:57
1410.07:004:58
1510.07:004:59
1610.07:005:00
1710.07:005:00
1810.06:595:01
1910.16:595:02
2010.16:595:03
2110.16:595:04
2210.16:585:05
2310.16:585:06
2410.26:575:07
2510.26:575:08
2610.26:575:09
2710.26:565:10
2810.26:565:11
2910.36:555:12
3010.36:555:13
3110.36:545:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.99 kWh/m² to a high of 7.98 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.15 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.0Moderate
23.0Moderate
33.0Moderate
43.0Moderate
53.0Moderate
63.0Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.2Moderate
193.2Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.4Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Rancho Santa Margarita?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Rancho Santa Margarita for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rancho Santa Margarita in January

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

In January, Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita 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 16 mi away) is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 28 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan59Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar59Cool
Apr60Cool
May63Cool
Jun65Cool
Jul68Refreshing
Aug69Refreshing
Sep69Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec60Cool

UV index in Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 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 highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 16UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita is worst in September — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.0× the cleanest month (May, 12 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 1447 µg/m³May 1713 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug32Moderate
Sep49Poor
Oct21Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Rancho Santa Margarita?

Rancho Santa Margarita sits at 33.6°N, 117.6°W, 948 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mission Viejo, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Rancho Santa Margarita

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rancho Santa Margarita has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 764 ft around an average of 1,007 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,564 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,967 ft.

The land around Rancho Santa Margarita is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (35%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 10 miles, and water (27%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
764 ft
10 miles
5,564 ft
50 miles
9,967 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Mission Viejo 5.0 mi · Lake Forest 5.0 mi · Ladera Ranch 5.0 mi · Laguna Hills 6.8 mi · Laguna Woods 7.5 mi · Aliso Viejo 8.7 mi · Stonegate 9.3 mi · Laguna Niguel 9.9 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 Rancho Santa Margarita (33.6409°, -117.6031°, elevation 948 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).