Weather in Santa Barbara in January 2026
- January is usually the coldest month of the year in Santa Barbara;
Average weather
Average temperature in Santa Barbara in January
Going from a maximum of +21°C during the day to a minimum of +6°C during the night, the temperature in January averages around +17°C.
The average maximum temperature goes up 0% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +16°C to +16°C.
Is Santa Barbara warm or cold in January?
Santa Barbara is typically mild in January.
Maximum temperatures go up compared to the previous month from +19°C to +19°C. The minimum temperature also goes down from +12°C to +11°C.
Pack a light jacket as it will be warm in the day and cool in the evenings.
January is the coldest month in Santa Barbara, here is the comparison with other months:
Climate in Santa Barbara in January
| December | January | February | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +19°C | +19°C | +19°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| +2°C | +5°C | +4°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +28°C | +31°C | +30°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 69 mm | 94 mm | 94 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 62% | 65% | 65% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1017 HPa | 1017 HPa | 1016 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | 9 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | 10 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 8 | 9 | 9 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
January weather is still as good as in December. The temperature levels stay the same in the area of +19°C for average maximum temperature during the day. Prepare for more rain. Average rainfall goes from 69 mm to 94 mm. Humidity rises from 62% to 65%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during January, staying around 1 m/s. The amount of sunny days stay about the same, averaging 11 sunny days during the month.
February brings much the same weather, it remains good.
Wind
The average wind speed is 2 m/s getting up to 6 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Santa Barbara is gradually decreasing during January, going from 4 m/s to 1 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
How was the weather last January in Santa Barbara?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Santa Barbara in January has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 2010 (+21°C) and the highest in 2015 (+25°C). The driest year was 2013 with only 117 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2023 with 1100 mm.
FAQ
Is January a good time to visit Santa Barbara?
Can you sunbathe in Santa Barbara in January?
Is Santa Barbara rainy in January?
Is it sunny in Santa Barbara in January?
Other cities in USA
Monthly weather in Santa Barbara
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Santa Barbara, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.
