San Luis Obispo weather in January

In January, San Luis Obispo sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 3.9 in of rain across 7.2 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 60°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is San Luis Obispo's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Luis Obispo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
11th warmest
Overnight low
47°
1st coldest
Rainfall
3.9 in
7.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:16 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
48%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

San Luis Obispo is county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States.

Density
1,414/km²
people per km²
Founded
1772

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 60°F through the month.

A typical January day in San Luis Obispo reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15947
25947
35947
45947
55947
65947
75947
86047
96047
106047
116047
126047
136047
146047
156047
166047
176047
186047
196047
206047
216047
226047
236047
246047
256047
266047
276048
286048
296048
306048
316048

San Luis Obispo 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
Jan60° / 47°3.97.29.95.2
Feb60° / 48°3.77.610.75.1
Mar61° / 49°2.86.211.75.8
Apr63° / 51°1.03.412.96.9
May65° / 53°0.41.513.87.8
Jun69° / 56°0.10.414.38.6
Jul71° / 58°0.00.114.19.0
Aug72° / 59°0.00.113.39.2
Sep72° / 59°0.00.412.29.1
Oct70° / 56°0.8211.18.5
Nov64° / 51°1.33.610.17.1
Dec60° / 47°3.06.69.75.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45743
55842
65842
75842
85842
95842
105941
115941
125941
136040
146040
156040
166040
176139
186040
196040
206040
216139
226139
236139
246139
256139
266139
276139
286139
296139
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

San Luis Obispo gets around 3.9 in of rain over 7.2 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 23% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
324
424
524
624
724
823
923
1023
1123
1223
1323
1423
1524
1624
1724
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2323
2423
2523
2622
2722
2822
2922
3022
3122

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 (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 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 7:16 AM to 7:09 AM, and sunset from 4:56 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:164:56
29.77:164:56
39.77:164:57
49.77:174:58
59.77:174:58
69.77:174:59
79.77:175:00
89.77:175:01
99.77:175:02
109.87:175:03
119.87:175:03
129.87:175:04
139.87:175:05
149.87:165:06
159.87:165:07
169.97:165:08
179.97:165:09
189.97:155:10
199.97:155:11
209.97:155:12
2110.07:155:13
2210.07:145:14
2310.07:145:15
2410.07:135:16
2510.17:135:16
2610.17:125:17
2710.17:125:18
2810.17:115:19
2910.27:115:20
3010.27:105:21
3110.27:095:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.95 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.76 kWh/m² to a high of 8.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.95 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.8Moderate
92.9Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit San Luis Obispo?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit San Luis Obispo for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Luis Obispo in January

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

In January, San Luis Obispo sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near San Luis Obispo in January

The nearest coast averages about 56°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 11 mi away) is warmest in September at about 60°F and coldest in April near 54°F.

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

52°54°56°58°60°62°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan56Bracing
Feb56Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul58Bracing
Aug59Cool
Sep60Cool
Oct60Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec57Bracing

UV index in San Luis Obispo in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — 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 Luis Obispo peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 15UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (June, 4 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2218 µg/m³Jun 124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May5Good
Jun4Good
Jul7Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is San Luis Obispo?

San Luis Obispo sits at 35.3°N, 120.7°W, 233 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Arroyo Grande, 12 mi away.

Topography around San Luis Obispo

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around San Luis Obispo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,572 ft around an average of 420 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,861 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,407 ft.

The land around San Luis Obispo is covered by grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (36%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and water (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,572 ft
10 miles
2,861 ft
50 miles
5,407 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Arroyo Grande 12 mi · Atascadero 14 mi · Nipomo 19 mi · Paso Robles 24 mi · Santa Maria 26 mi · Orcutt 32 mi · Lompoc 46 mi · Coalinga 62 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 Luis Obispo (35.2828°, -120.6596°, 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).