Santa Rosa Beach weather in January

In January, Santa Rosa Beach sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 4.5 in of rain across 8.5 wet days and about 10.3 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-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 38% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Santa Rosa Beach's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Rosa Beach's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
12th warmest
Overnight low
45°
1st coldest
Rainfall
4.5 in
8.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
6:47 AM – 5:01 PM
Cloud cover
54%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
3.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Santa Rosa Beach is unincorporated community in Florida.

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 Santa Rosa Beach reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°F cooler than December and about 3°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16046
26046
36046
46046
56045
66045
76045
86045
96045
106045
116045
126045
136045
146044
156044
166044
176044
186044
196044
206044
216044
226044
236044
246045
256045
266045
276045
286045
296145
306145
316145

How January really feels in Santa Rosa Beach

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Santa Rosa Beach weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan60° / 45°4.58.510.35.1
Feb63° / 48°4.37.510.95.9
Mar69° / 54°4.88.511.86.8
Apr75° / 60°3.57.512.77.4
May82° / 68°2.68.813.56.6
Jun86° / 75°4.615.613.94.3
Jul87° / 77°5.421.113.83.4
Aug87° / 76°5.819.913.13.6
Sep85° / 72°4.41212.25.1
Oct78° / 62°3.36.211.37.6
Nov69° / 52°3.16.910.57.1
Dec62° / 47°4.48.610.15.7

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 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34852
44951
54852
64951
74951
85050
95050
105050
115149
125149
135248
145248
155248
165248
175347
185347
195347
205347
215347
225248
235248
245149
255149
265050
275050
284951
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Santa Rosa Beach gets around 4.5 in of rain over 8.5 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
227
326
426
526
626
726
826
926
1026
1126
1226
1326
1426
1526
1626
1726
1827
1927
2027
2128
2228
2329
2429
2529
2629
2729
2829
2929
3029
3129

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 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
17410124
27311124
37411123
47411123
57312123
67312123
77312123
87512112
97512112
107413112
117513102
127513102
13771391
14771391
15771391
16791281
17791281
18791281
19791281
20811171
21811171
22811171
23811171
24811171
25801271
26801271
27801271
28801370
29801370
30801370
31781471

Wind in January

Winds average 8 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of January to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:46 AM to 6:42 AM, and sunset from 4:50 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.16:464:50
210.16:464:51
310.16:464:51
410.16:474:52
510.16:474:53
610.16:474:54
710.16:474:54
810.16:474:55
910.16:474:56
1010.26:474:57
1110.26:474:57
1210.26:474:58
1310.26:474:59
1410.26:475:00
1510.26:475:00
1610.26:475:01
1710.36:475:02
1810.36:475:03
1910.36:475:04
2010.36:465:05
2110.36:465:05
2210.36:465:06
2310.46:465:07
2410.46:455:08
2510.46:455:09
2610.46:455:10
2710.46:445:11
2810.56:445:11
2910.56:435:12
3010.56:435:13
3110.56:425:14

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.78 kWh/m² to a high of 6.47 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 3.05 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.8Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.9Moderate
72.9Moderate
82.9Moderate
92.9Moderate
102.9Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.2Moderate
223.2Moderate
233.2Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Santa Rosa Beach

In seasonPeak

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

Santa Rosa Beach 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 Santa Rosa Beach?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Santa Rosa Beach for sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Rosa Beach in January

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

In January, Santa Rosa Beach sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Santa Rosa Beach in January

The nearest coast averages about 64°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 85°F and coldest in February near 63°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Apr 8 to Dec 11 — about 8.2 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°90°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan64Cool
Feb63Cool
Mar65Cool
Apr69Refreshing
May76Warm
Jun82Warm
Jul84Tropical
Aug85Tropical
Sep83Tropical
Oct78Warm
Nov72Refreshing
Dec67Cool

UV index in Santa Rosa Beach 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 Rosa Beach peaks around June 18 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJun 18UV 10Dec 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb6High
Mar7High
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov5Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Santa Rosa Beach 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 Rosa Beach is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1519 µg/m³Dec 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Rosa Beach?

Santa Rosa Beach sits at 30.4°N, 86.2°W, 3 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Fort Walton Beach, 23 mi away.

Topography around Santa Rosa Beach

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Rosa Beach has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 ft around an average of 13 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 ft.

The land around Santa Rosa Beach is covered by trees (55%) and water (28%) within 2 miles, water (54%) and trees (37%) within 10 miles, and trees (54%) and water (33%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
66 ft
10 miles
135 ft
50 miles
384 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Fort Walton Beach 23 mi · Wright 25 mi · Crestview 32 mi · Lynn Haven 36 mi · Panama City 38 mi · Navarre 38 mi · Midway 46 mi · East Pensacola Heights 57 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 Rosa Beach (30.396°, -86.2288°, elevation 3 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. 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).