Sarasota weather in January

In January, Sarasota sees average daytime highs of 69°F and overnight lows near 57°F, with 2.3 in of rain across 5.7 wet days and about 10.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 69°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sarasota's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sarasota's year-round climate.

Daytime high
69°
12th warmest
Overnight low
57°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2.3 in
5.7 wet days
Daylight
10 h 24 min
7:26 AM – 5:53 PM
Cloud cover
49%
8th clearest
Wind
9 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
3.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Sarasota is city in and county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States.

Density
844/km²
people per km²
Founded
1763

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 69°F through the month.

A typical January day in Sarasota reaches about 69°F in the afternoon and slips back to 57°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 1°F cooler than February.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17058
26958
36958
46958
56958
66957
76957
86957
96957
106957
116957
126957
136956
146856
156856
166856
176856
186856
196856
206856
216856
226856
236856
246856
256856
266856
276856
286856
296857
306957
316957

How January really feels in Sarasota

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.

Sarasota weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan69° / 57°2.35.710.57.2
Feb70° / 58°1.65.3117.4
Mar73° / 62°2.05.311.87.9
Apr78° / 67°1.95.312.67.8
May83° / 72°2.27.913.36.6
Jun85° / 77°5.818.213.74.2
Jul86° / 78°5.421.613.63.6
Aug87° / 78°6.023133.4
Sep85° / 77°6.017.512.24.2
Oct82° / 72°2.67.711.36.6
Nov76° / 64°1.53.810.68.1
Dec71° / 60°1.85.210.37.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25743
35743
45743
55842
65743
75842
85842
95842
105941
116040
126040
136139
146139
156040
166139
176139
186139
196238
206139
216139
226139
236040
246040
256040
266040
275941
285842
295842
305842
315941

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Sarasota gets around 2.3 in of rain over 5.7 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 18% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
218
318
418
518
618
718
818
919
1019
1119
1219
1319
1419
1519
1619
1718
1818
1918
2018
2118
2218
2318
2418
2518
2618
2718
2818
2918
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 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1381723202
2381723201
3391723201
4391723201
5401723201
6401723191
7411723191
8421723181
9431723170
10441723160
11451723150
12451723140
13461823130
14461823130
15471823120
16471824110
17471924100
18481924100
1948192490
2048192490
2149192480
2249192480
2349192480
2449192390
2549192390
2649192390
2749192390
28491823100
29481823100
30481823100
31481823100

Wind in January

Winds average 9 mph in January, the windiest month of the year.

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 10 h 18 min at the start of January to 10 h 42 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 7:24 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 5:42 PM to 6:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:245:42
210.37:245:43
310.37:255:44
410.37:255:44
510.37:255:45
610.37:255:46
710.37:265:46
810.47:265:47
910.47:265:48
1010.47:265:48
1110.47:265:49
1210.47:265:50
1310.47:265:51
1410.47:265:51
1510.47:265:52
1610.47:265:53
1710.57:265:54
1810.57:265:54
1910.57:265:55
2010.57:255:56
2110.57:255:57
2210.57:255:58
2310.67:255:58
2410.67:255:59
2510.67:246:00
2610.67:246:01
2710.67:246:01
2810.67:246:02
2910.77:236:03
3010.77:236:04
3110.77:226:05

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.86 kWh/m² in May across the year — January's 3.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.5Moderate
83.5Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.8Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
294.0Moderate
304.0Moderate
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sarasota

In seasonPeak

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

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

Sarasota's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Sarasota?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Sarasota for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Sarasota in January

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

In January, Sarasota sees daytime highs around 69°F and nights near 57°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 6 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Sarasota in January

The nearest coast averages about 65°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 86°F and coldest in February near 65°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 13 to Dec 26 — about 9.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°70°80°90°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan65Cool
Feb65Cool
Mar68Refreshing
Apr73Refreshing
May78Warm
Jun83Tropical
Jul85Tropical
Aug86Tropical
Sep85Tropical
Oct81Warm
Nov74Refreshing
Dec69Refreshing

UV index in Sarasota in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sarasota peaks around July 14 at about 11 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 11Dec 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb7High
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Sarasota 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 Sarasota is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1717 µg/m³Nov 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sarasota?

Sarasota sits at 27.3°N, 82.5°W, 23 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bayshore Gardens, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around Sarasota

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sarasota has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 ft around an average of 23 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 95 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 384 ft.

The land around Sarasota is covered by artificial surfaces (43%), trees (30%) and water (20%) within 2 miles, water (41%) and trees (27%) within 10 miles, and water (43%), trees (27%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
69 ft
10 miles
95 ft
50 miles
384 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Bayshore Gardens 7.5 mi · South Bradenton 9.3 mi · Bradenton 12 mi · Venice 17 mi · North Port 27 mi · Ruskin 27 mi · Sun City Center 29 mi · St. Petersburg 31 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 Sarasota (27.3364°, -82.5306°, elevation 23 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).