Soledad weather in January

In January, Soledad sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 3.0 in of precipitation across 7.9 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 58°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Soledad's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Soledad's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
11th warmest
Overnight low
40°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
3.0 in
7.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:21 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
54%
11th clearest
Wind
4 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Soledad is city in Monterey County, California, United States.

Density
2,115/km²
people per km²
Founded
1921

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 58°F through the month.

A typical January day in Soledad reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15739
25739
35739
45739
55739
65739
75739
85739
95740
105740
115840
125840
135840
145840
155840
165840
175840
185840
195840
205840
215840
225840
235840
245840
255840
265840
275840
285940
295940
305940
315941

Soledad 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
Jan58° / 40°3.07.99.84.5
Feb59° / 41°3.08.510.64.8
Mar63° / 43°2.47.811.75.9
Apr67° / 45°1.14.612.97.3
May73° / 49°0.52.313.98.5
Jun80° / 53°0.10.514.48.7
Jul86° / 58°0.00.314.27.0
Aug86° / 58°0.00.213.47.0
Sep82° / 56°0.10.712.28.3
Oct75° / 51°0.6211.18.8
Nov64° / 44°1.24.210.16.8
Dec57° / 39°2.67.29.64.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24753
34852
44753
54753
64753
74753
84852
94951
104951
114951
125050
135050
145050
155050
165149
175149
185149
195149
205149
215149
225149
235149
245149
255149
265050
275050
285050
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Soledad gets around 3.0 in of rain and snow over 7.9 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 precipitation averages around 26% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
324
424
524
624
724
824
924
1024
1124
1224
1325
1425
1526
1626
1727
1827
1928
2028
2128
2228
2328
2428
2527
2627
2727
2827
2927
3026
3126

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 4 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 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
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 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 7:22 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:224:55
29.67:224:56
39.67:224:57
49.67:224:57
59.67:224:58
69.67:224:59
79.67:225:00
89.67:225:01
99.67:225:01
109.77:225:02
119.77:225:03
129.77:225:04
139.77:225:05
149.77:225:06
159.87:225:07
169.87:215:08
179.87:215:09
189.87:215:10
199.87:215:11
209.97:205:12
219.97:205:13
229.97:195:14
239.97:195:15
2410.07:195:16
2510.07:185:17
2610.07:185:18
2710.07:175:19
2810.17:165:20
2910.17:165:21
3010.17:155:22
3110.17:145:23

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.55 kWh/m² to a high of 8.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.6Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Soledad?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Soledad for sightseeing.

What to pack for Soledad in January

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

In January, Soledad sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Soledad in January

The nearest coast averages about 55°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 27 mi away) is warmest in September at about 59°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan55Bracing
Feb55Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug59Bracing
Sep59Cool
Oct59Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec56Bracing

UV index in Soledad in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Soledad peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Dec 14UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Soledad 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 Soledad is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1920 µg/m³Jun 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun5Good
Jul8Good
Aug22Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Soledad?

Soledad sits at 36.4°N, 121.3°W, 190 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Greenfield, 8.7 mi away.

Topography around Soledad

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Soledad has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 ft around an average of 213 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,354 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,883 ft.

The land around Soledad is covered by cropland (59%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and cropland (25%) within 10 miles, and grassland (44%), trees (23%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
433 ft
10 miles
4,354 ft
50 miles
5,883 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Greenfield 8.7 mi · Salinas 25 mi · Big Sur 29 mi · Hollister 30 mi · Prunedale 31 mi · Seaside 32 mi · Marina 32 mi · Monterey 34 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 Soledad (36.4247°, -121.3263°, elevation 190 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).