San Francisco weather in January: San Francisco, California: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
San Francisco in January has a normal high of 58°F and a normal low of 47°F, a daily mean of 52°F, rising from 57°F on the 1st to 59°F by the 31st. Measurable precipitation falls on 11 days in a normal January, 4.40 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 14°C and low of 8°C, 112 mm of precipitation in January.
- NOAA stationSan Francisco Downtown
- Station IDUSW00023272
- Location37.77°N 122.43°W
- Elevation150 ft (46 m)
- Population827,526
- Jan 58° 47°
- Feb 60° 48°
- Mar 62° 49°
- Apr 63° 50°
- May 64° 51°
- Jun 67° 53°
- Jul 66° 54°
- Aug 68° 56°
- Sep 70° 56°
- Oct 70° 54°
- Nov 64° 51°
- Dec 58° 47°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is San Francisco in January?
The normal high is 58°F and the normal low 47°F, for a daily mean of 52.2°F. January is 0.3°F cooler than December and 2.0°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in San Francisco and the 2nd wettest. Across the month the normal high rises 2°F, from 57°F on January 1 to 59°F on January 31. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 1.9°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 50°F and 54°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 37%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% |
| January 8 | 57°F | 46°F | 36% | 25% |
| January 15 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% |
| January 22 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% |
| January 31 | 59°F | 47°F | 35% | 27% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 31, coldest night January 1)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 2 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 3 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 4 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 5 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 6 | 57°F | 46°F | 37% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 7 | 57°F | 46°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 8 | 57°F | 46°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 9 | 57°F | 46°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 10 | 57°F | 46°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 11 | 57°F | 46°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 40 min |
| January 12 | 57°F | 46°F | 36% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 13 | 58°F | 46°F | 36% | 26% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 14 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 15 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 16 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 17 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 18 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 19 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 20 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 10 h |
| January 21 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 10 h |
| January 22 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 10 h |
| January 23 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 10 h |
| January 24 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 10 h |
| January 25 | 58°F | 47°F | 36% | 26% | 10 h |
| January 26 | 59°F | 47°F | 36% | 27% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 27 | 59°F | 47°F | 35% | 27% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 28 | 59°F | 47°F | 35% | 27% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 29 | 59°F | 47°F | 35% | 27% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 30 | 59°F | 47°F | 35% | 27% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 31 | 59°F | 47°F | 35% | 27% | 10 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 58°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 47°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 4.40 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 110.01 inch or more
- Daylight
- 9 h 40 min to 10 h 20 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 1
- Sunshine
- 76%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00023272; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain in San Francisco in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 36% on average, highest around January 1 (37%). In all, 4.40 in falls on 11 days of a normal January, 1 of them with an inch or more.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00023272.
What are the records for January in San Francisco?
The warmest January temperature on this station's record (since 1874) is 79°F, on January 8, 1962; the coldest is 29°F, on January 15, 1888. The wettest January brought 24.36 in (1862).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 52.2°F: 2021 53.1°F (+0.9), 2022 54.0°F (+1.8), 2023 52.8°F (+0.6), 2024 54.4°F (+2.2), 2025 53.5°F (+1.3), 2026 55.1°F (+2.9). 6 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53.1°F | +0.9°F | 2.82 in |
| 2022 | 54.0°F | +1.8°F | 0.61 in |
| 2023 | 52.8°F | +0.6°F | 8.89 in |
| 2024 | 54.4°F | +2.2°F | 6.57 in |
| 2025 | 53.5°F | +1.3°F | 0.50 in |
| 2026 | 55.1°F | +2.9°F | 2.78 in |
Source: records: ACIS, station USW00023272; recent months: ACIS, station USW00023272. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in San Francisco compare across California?
Across the 219 places PlainClimate covers in California, January normal highs run from 37°F in Tahoma to 72°F in Brawley; San Francisco's is 58°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.
Other months and places
- San Francisco in December58°F by day, 47°F at night
- San Francisco in February60°F by day, 48°F at night
- San Francisco through the yearEvery month, frost dates, records and recent years
- California in JanuaryThe statewide normal and the warmest and coolest places
- Brawley: California's warmest Januarynormal high 72°F