Watsonville weather in January

In January, Watsonville sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 4.2 in of rain across 8.7 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 36% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of January to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Watsonville's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watsonville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
11th warmest
Overnight low
43°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
4.2 in
8.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 42 min
7:24 AM – 5:08 PM
Cloud cover
55%
11th clearest
Wind
4 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Watsonville is city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States.

Density
3,052/km²
people per km²
Founded
1868

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 Watsonville reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°F cooler than February.

30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55842
65843
75843
85843
95843
105843
115843
125843
135843
145843
155843
165843
175843
185843
195943
205943
215943
225943
235943
245944
255944
265944
275944
285944
295944
306044
316044

Watsonville weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 43°4.28.79.84.6
Feb60° / 45°4.2910.64.9
Mar62° / 46°3.08.411.75.6
Apr64° / 48°1.34.712.96.6
May67° / 51°0.62.813.97.6
Jun70° / 53°0.10.614.58.7
Jul72° / 56°0.00.214.39.2
Aug73° / 57°0.00.213.49.4
Sep73° / 56°0.10.512.39.3
Oct71° / 52°0.82.1118.4
Nov64° / 46°1.85.3106.5
Dec58° / 43°3.88.69.54.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24654
34654
44654
54654
64654
74654
84654
94852
104852
114852
124852
134852
144951
154951
164951
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
225050
234951
245050
255050
265050
275050
285050
295050
305149
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Watsonville gets around 4.2 in of rain over 8.7 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 28% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
527
627
727
826
926
1026
1126
1227
1327
1427
1528
1628
1729
1829
1930
2030
2130
2230
2330
2430
2530
2629
2729
2829
2928
3028
3128

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 99% 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
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 4 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 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
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:25 AM to 7:17 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:254:55
29.57:254:56
39.57:254:57
49.57:254:58
59.67:254:58
69.67:264:59
79.67:265:00
89.67:265:01
99.67:265:02
109.67:255:03
119.67:255:04
129.77:255:04
139.77:255:05
149.77:255:06
159.77:255:07
169.77:245:08
179.77:245:09
189.87:245:10
199.87:245:11
209.87:235:12
219.87:235:13
229.97:225:14
239.97:225:15
249.97:215:16
259.97:215:17
2610.07:205:18
2710.07:205:19
2810.07:195:20
2910.07:195:21
3010.17:185:22
3110.17:175:24

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.39 kWh/m² to a high of 7.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.5Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Watsonville

In seasonPeak

In January, Watsonville sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Watsonville's rainy season runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Watsonville?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Watsonville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Watsonville in January

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

In January, Watsonville sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Watsonville 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 offshore is warmest in September at about 58°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
Aug58Bracing
Sep58Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov56Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Watsonville 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 Watsonville peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 22UV 11Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Watsonville 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 Watsonville 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 Watsonville?

Watsonville sits at 36.9°N, 121.8°W, 33 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Prunedale, 11 mi away.

Topography around Watsonville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Watsonville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 ft around an average of 43 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,651 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,121 ft.

The land around Watsonville is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and cropland (38%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and water (21%) within 10 miles, and grassland (35%), trees (28%) and water (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
131 ft
10 miles
2,651 ft
50 miles
5,121 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Prunedale 11 mi · Gilroy 12 mi · Live Oak 13 mi · Santa Cruz 16 mi · Marina 16 mi · Morgan Hill 16 mi · Salinas 17 mi · Hollister 20 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 Watsonville (36.9102°, -121.7569°, elevation 33 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).