San Clemente weather in January

In January, San Clemente sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 3.1 in of rain across 5.9 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 63°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 San Clemente's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Clemente's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
10th warmest
Overnight low
47°
1st coldest
Rainfall
3.1 in
5.9 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
6:59 AM – 5:00 PM
Cloud cover
46%
11th clearest
Wind
4 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

San Clemente is city in Orange County, California, United States.

Density
1,300/km²
people per km²
Founded
1928

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 63°F through the month.

A typical January day in San Clemente reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16346
26346
36346
46346
56346
66346
76346
86346
96346
106346
116347
126347
136447
146447
156447
166447
176447
186447
196447
206447
216447
226447
236447
246447
256447
266447
276447
286447
296447
306447
316447

San Clemente weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan63° / 47°3.15.9106.4
Feb63° / 48°3.76.810.86.2
Mar65° / 50°2.16.211.76.7
Apr68° / 53°0.93.312.87.6
May71° / 56°0.4213.78.2
Jun75° / 60°0.10.414.29.2
Jul80° / 65°0.10.4148.8
Aug82° / 66°0.10.213.28.4
Sep81° / 64°0.20.812.28.7
Oct76° / 59°0.72.611.28.7
Nov69° / 52°1.03.210.37.9
Dec63° / 47°2.24.99.86.6

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 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35941
45941
55941
65941
75941
85941
96040
106139
116139
126139
136139
146139
156139
166139
176139
186139
196139
206139
216139
226139
236040
246040
256139
266139
276139
286139
296139
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

San Clemente gets around 3.1 in of rain over 5.9 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 19% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
219
319
419
519
619
719
819
919
1018
1118
1218
1318
1418
1518
1618
1718
1818
1918
2018
2119
2219
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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
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 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 6:59 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 4:48 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.86:594:48
29.86:594:49
39.86:594:50
49.87:004:50
59.97:004:51
69.97:004:52
79.97:004:53
89.97:004:53
99.97:004:54
109.97:004:55
119.97:004:56
129.97:004:57
1310.07:004:57
1410.07:004:58
1510.07:004:59
1610.06:595:00
1710.06:595:01
1810.06:595:02
1910.16:595:03
2010.16:585:04
2110.16:585:05
2210.16:585:05
2310.16:575:06
2410.26:575:07
2510.26:575:08
2610.26:565:09
2710.26:565:10
2810.36:555:11
2910.36:555:12
3010.36:545:13
3110.36:545:14

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.01 kWh/m² to a high of 7.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.19 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.1Moderate
83.1Moderate
93.1Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.2Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.3Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.4Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit San Clemente?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
1.8
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit San Clemente for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Clemente in January

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

In January, San Clemente sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 47°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 6 days see rain.

Sea temperature near San Clemente 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 70°F and coldest in January near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 6 to Oct 6 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan59Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar60Cool
Apr61Cool
May63Cool
Jun66Cool
Jul69Refreshing
Aug70Refreshing
Sep70Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec61Cool

UV index in San Clemente 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 San Clemente 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 San Clemente 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 San Clemente 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 San Clemente?

San Clemente sits at 33.4°N, 117.6°W, 233 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Dana Point, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around San Clemente

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around San Clemente has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 886 ft around an average of 236 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,280 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,109 ft.

The land around San Clemente is covered by artificial surfaces (35%), water (27%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, water (44%) within 10 miles, and water (36%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
886 ft
10 miles
2,280 ft
50 miles
6,109 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Dana Point 5.6 mi · San Juan Capistrano 6.2 mi · Laguna Niguel 8.7 mi · Ladera Ranch 9.9 mi · Aliso Viejo 12 mi · Mission Viejo 12 mi · Laguna Beach 12 mi · Laguna Hills 14 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 San Clemente (33.427°, -117.612°, elevation 233 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).