Saco weather in January

In January, Saco sees average daytime highs of 32°F and overnight lows near 19°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 9.4 wet days and about 9.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°F through the month. 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 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Saco's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Saco's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
12th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:18 AM – 4:24 PM
Cloud cover
55%
2nd clearest
Wind
9 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Saco is city in York County, Maine, United States.

Density
140/km²
people per km²
Founded
1630

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 32°F through the month.

A typical January day in Saco reaches about 32°F in the afternoon and slips back to 19°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°F and 45°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 6°F cooler than December and about 2°F cooler than February.

20°40°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13422
23422
33421
43321
53321
63320
73320
83320
93320
103219
113219
123219
133219
143219
153218
163118
173118
183118
193118
203118
213117
223117
233117
243117
253117
263117
273117
283117
293117
303117
313218

How January really feels in Saco

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
31 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Saco weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 19°3.39.46.69.10.0
Feb34° / 19°3.18.86.210.20.0
Mar41° / 27°4.110.65.511.60.3
Apr53° / 38°3.810.11.613.22.9
May63° / 47°2.910.10.114.55.3
Jun73° / 57°3.410015.26.6
Jul78° / 64°2.99.2014.96.8
Aug77° / 62°2.98.4013.87.1
Sep70° / 55°3.28.2012.36.8
Oct59° / 45°4.39.70.210.84.6
Nov48° / 35°3.59.21.39.51.7
Dec38° / 26°4.210.25.48.80.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55149
65149
75050
85050
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165248
175248
185248
195446
205446
215446
225446
235545
245545
255545
265545
275644
285644
295545
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Saco gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 9.4 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13220
23221
33221
43221
53221
63221
73221
83221
93221
103222
113222
123122
133122
143122
153122
163122
173122
183122
193022
203022
213022
223022
232922
242922
252921
262921
272921
282921
292921
302921
312922

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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 9 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 48 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:20 AM to 7:07 AM, and sunset from 4:09 PM to 4:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.87:204:09
28.87:214:10
38.87:214:11
48.97:214:12
58.97:214:13
68.97:214:14
78.97:204:15
88.97:204:16
98.97:204:17
109.07:204:18
119.07:204:19
129.07:194:20
139.07:194:21
149.17:194:22
159.17:184:23
169.17:184:24
179.17:174:25
189.27:174:27
199.27:164:28
209.27:164:29
219.27:154:30
229.37:154:31
239.37:144:33
249.37:134:34
259.47:134:35
269.47:124:36
279.47:114:38
289.57:104:39
299.57:094:40
309.67:084:42
319.67:074:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.51 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.94 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.7Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
182.0Dim
192.0Dim
202.0Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Saco

In seasonPeak

None of Saco's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Saco sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Saco?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Saco.

What to pack for Saco in January

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

In January, Saco sees daytime highs around 32°F and nights near 19°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Saco in January

The nearest coast averages about 42°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 9 mi away) is warmest in August at about 64°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May48Bracing
Jun56Bracing
Jul62Cool
Aug64Cool
Sep61Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Saco in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Saco peaks around July 12 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateModerateLowJul 12UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Saco?

Saco sits at 43.5°N, 70.4°W, 66 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Biddeford, 0.6 mi away.

Topography around Saco

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Saco has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 ft around an average of 95 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 463 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,933 ft.

The land around Saco is covered by trees (65%) within 2 miles, trees (59%) and water (24%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) and water (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
223 ft
10 miles
463 ft
50 miles
2,933 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Biddeford 0.6 mi · West Scarborough 5.6 mi · South Portland Gardens 11 mi · Westbrook 12 mi · South Portland 14 mi · Portland 14 mi · Sanford 17 mi · Rochester 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 Saco (43.5009°, -70.4428°, elevation 66 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).