San Francisco Weather in January

January has the coldest weather of the year for San Francisco, California. Yet the temperatures remain mild and well above freezing.

This page gives detailed information on the typical January temperature, precipitation, sun, humidity, wind and storms for San Francisco. The temperature, rainfall, sunshine and wind speed numbers here are historical averages based on climate data gathered in downtown San Francisco near the corner of Buchanan and Hermann Streets. The other measurements are averages at San Francisco International Airport, located south of the city center.

Temperature Weather iconTemperature

58 °F January average high 14 °C
47 °F January average low 8 °C

The first two weeks of January are among the chilliest of the year at San Francisco. These, along with the last week of December have daily highs averaging 57 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius) and the minimum averages 46 °F (8 °C).

12 days 60 °F max. or more (16 °C)
25 days 50 °F min. or less (10 °C)

Temperatures above 70 °F (21 °C) during January in San Francisco can occur, but don't happen every year .

The thermometer dips to 40 °F (4 °C) or below on an average of 2 nights this month. But January does not normally get cold enough for frost.

Rainy Weather iconRain

4.4 in total precipitation 112 mm
11 days of rain

Half the time, San Francisco receives 1.8 to 6.7 inches (46 to 170 mm) of rainfall in January. One in four years has drier weather, while another one in four is wetter. None of the precipitation falls as snow.

Sunny Weather iconSun

56 % sunshine
9 days clear skies

The sun's rays reach the ground in San Francisco during 56 percent of daylight hours on average in January, for a total of 172 hours in the month. Typically on 9 days this month the sky is mainly clear, with at most 30 percent cloud cover.

Sunlight in January at San Francisco lasts for 9 hours and 54 minutes a day on average. The shortest day of the month is the 1st with 9 hours and 37 minutes of daylight. By the end of the month, the days have lengthened to 10:18 from sunrise to sunset. These durations can vary by a minute or two from year to year.

Humid Weather iconHumidity

78 % January average humidity

The relative humidity in San Francisco during January usually peaks at 86 percent in the morning then drops to 66 percent by late afternoon. This is the most humid month for San Francisco.

Local Time1 am4 am7 am10 am1 pm4 pm7 pm10 pm
Humidity % 84 86 86 79 68 66 77 81

Windy Weather iconWind

6.7 mph January wind speed average 10.8 kph

January is less windy than most other months in San Francisco.

Stormy Weather iconStorms

3 days rainfall of 0.5 inches (13 mm) or more
1 day with thunderstorms in January

San Francisco averages one January thunderstorm every two years.

Reference

The weather data here are long-term averages provided by the US National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Temperature and precipitation are 1991-2020 normals while humidity and thunderstorms are 1961-1990 normals.

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