Santa Fe weather in January

In January, Santa Fe sees average daytime highs of 41°F and overnight lows near 19°F, with 0.9 in of precipitation across 4.4 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 42°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Santa Fe's 6th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Fe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
41°
12th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Precipitation
0.9 in
4.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:18 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
37%
6th clearest
Wind
5 mph
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Santa Fe is capital city of the U.S. state of New Mexico and seat of Santa Fe County.

Density
645/km²
people per km²
Founded
1610

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 39°F in the first days to 42°F by the end.

A typical January day in Santa Fe reaches about 41°F in the afternoon and slips back to 19°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°F and 51°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 5°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13918
23918
33918
43919
53919
64019
74019
84019
94019
104019
114019
124019
134019
144019
154119
164119
174120
184120
194120
204120
214120
224120
234220
244220
254220
264220
274220
284220
294220
304220
314221

How January really feels in Santa Fe

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.

Santa Fe weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 19°0.94.449.90.1
Feb45° / 24°0.854.210.61.2
Mar54° / 30°1.05.42.811.73.7
Apr62° / 37°0.94.51.412.96.1
May71° / 46°0.84.80.113.97.8
Jun81° / 55°0.63.7014.47.6
Jul83° / 59°1.48014.26.3
Aug80° / 57°1.38013.37.1
Sep74° / 51°1.04.7012.28.2
Oct64° / 40°1.24.60.711.16.7
Nov51° / 29°0.84.1210.13.0
Dec41° / 20°1.04.54.19.60.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% 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 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
37129
47129
57129
67129
77129
87228
97129
107129
117228
127228
137129
147129
157129
167129
177129
187129
197129
207129
217129
227129
237030
247030
257030
267030
276931
286931
296931
306931
316832

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Santa Fe gets around 0.9 in of rain and snow over 4.4 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 14% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
11513
21513
31513
41412
51412
61412
71413
81413
91413
101413
111413
121412
131412
141312
151312
161312
171312
181312
191312
201413
211413
221413
231413
241413
251514
261514
271514
281514
291514
301515
311615

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 5 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:18 AM to 7:11 AM, and sunset from 4:56 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:184:56
29.67:184:56
39.67:194:57
49.77:194:58
59.77:194:59
69.77:194:59
79.77:195:00
89.77:195:01
99.77:195:02
109.77:195:03
119.77:195:03
129.87:195:04
139.87:195:05
149.87:185:06
159.87:185:07
169.87:185:08
179.97:185:09
189.97:185:10
199.97:175:11
209.97:175:12
219.97:175:13
2210.07:165:14
2310.07:165:15
2410.07:155:16
2510.07:155:17
2610.17:145:18
2710.17:145:19
2810.17:135:20
2910.17:135:21
3010.27:125:22
3110.27:115:23

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.07 kWh/m² to a high of 8.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 3.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.6Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Santa Fe?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Santa Fe.

What to pack for Santa Fe in January

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

In January, Santa Fe sees daytime highs around 41°F and nights near 19°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 12Dec 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar7Very high
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe is worst in May — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.7× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodMay 1838 µg/m³Nov 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr11Good
May41Poor
Jun19Moderate
Jul9Good
Aug9Good
Sep8Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Fe?

Santa Fe sits at 35.7°N, 105.9°W, 6,995 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Enchanted Hills, 44 mi away.

Topography around Santa Fe

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Fe has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 820 ft around an average of 7,103 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,387 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,969 ft.

The land around Santa Fe is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (43%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and grassland (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
820 ft
10 miles
5,387 ft
50 miles
7,969 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Enchanted Hills 44 mi · Rio Rancho 52 mi · Albuquerque 58 mi · South Valley 63 mi · Los Lunas 76 mi · Farmington 146 mi · Durango 154 mi · Gallup 158 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 Santa Fe (35.687°, -105.9378°, elevation 6,995 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).