January is one of the cooler months of the year in Irvine, with average highs near 5.2°C and lows around 1.8°C (mean 3.5°C). It is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 124 mm of rainfall and 94% relative humidity across the period.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Irvine. Across 45 years of records, the warmest January in Irvine was 1989 — when the month averaged 6.1°C — while the coldest was 1985 at -0.5°C. Typical January days reach 5.2°C with nights near 1.8°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.3°C per decade.
January is a relatively wet time of year in Irvine, averaging 124 mm of rainfall. The wettest January on record was 2008 with 206 mm, while the driest was 1997 at 35 mm.
Relative humidity in Irvine during January averages 94%. The most humid January was 1982 at 96%, and the least humid was 1993 at 91%.
January receives about 0.5 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Irvine. The sunniest Januarys were 2023, 2024 and 2025, among others at 0.6 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 2014, 2016 and 2020, among others at 0.4.
Average wind speed in Irvine during January is 4.9 m/s. The windiest January was 1993 at 7.2 m/s, while the calmest was 1997 at 3 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 2.5°C | 3.5°C | 4.2°C | 3.2°C | 4.0°C | +1.5°C |
| Avg High | 4.3°C | 5.2°C | 5.9°C | 4.9°C | 5.6°C | +1.3°C |
| Avg Low | 0.9°C | 1.8°C | 2.5°C | 1.6°C | 2.4°C | +1.5°C |
| Avg Rain | 125 mm | 133 mm | 132 mm | 120 mm | 104 mm | -21 mm |
January temperatures in Irvine have risen by about 1.5°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
January has ranged from a record low of -11.3°C (1982) to a record high of 11.3°C (2015).
Rainfall in January is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 124 mm, with a wettest year of 206 mm.
A quieter season to visit Irvine
If your dates are flexible, the more temperate months of July and August tend to be the most comfortable for visiting Irvine. That said, January — with days averaging 5.2°C and nights around 1.8°C (mean 3.5°C) and higher rainfall (124 mm) — can still be rewarding for travellers who don't mind the cooler conditions, and often means fewer crowds.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.3°C | 3.7°C | 2.0°C | 10.0°C | -2.3°C | 63 mm | 94% | 3.9 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2024 | 5.4°C | 3.7°C | 2.0°C | 10.9°C | -3.7°C | 123 mm | 94% | 4.6 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2023 | 6.3°C | 4.6°C | 3.0°C | 10.2°C | -2.0°C | 123 mm | 94% | 4.9 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2022 | 6.8°C | 5.0°C | 3.2°C | 11.1°C | -0.4°C | 68 mm | 93% | 4.7 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2021 | 3.2°C | 1.7°C | 0.2°C | 8.1°C | -3.4°C | 119 mm | 94% | 3.6 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2020 | 6.8°C | 5.2°C | 3.7°C | 11.2°C | -0.1°C | 130 mm | 94% | 5.5 m/s | 0.4 |
| 2019 | 5.1°C | 3.4°C | 1.7°C | 9.4°C | -2.1°C | 59 mm | 93% | 3.8 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2018 | 4.9°C | 3.4°C | 1.8°C | 9.9°C | -2.6°C | 159 mm | 95% | 4.9 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2017 | 5.9°C | 4.1°C | 2.3°C | 9.1°C | -1.4°C | 75 mm | 94% | 4.2 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2016 | 5.2°C | 3.6°C | 2.0°C | 10.6°C | -2.4°C | 185 mm | 94% | 5.1 m/s | 0.4 |
| 2015 | 5.4°C | 3.5°C | 1.7°C | 11.3°C | -1.5°C | 176 mm | 92% | 6.1 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2014 | 5.7°C | 4.2°C | 2.7°C | 8.1°C | -0.8°C | 137 mm | 95% | 4.9 m/s | 0.4 |
| 2013 | 4.6°C | 3.1°C | 1.5°C | 9.8°C | -3.2°C | 126 mm | 95% | 4.7 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2012 | 6.1°C | 4.1°C | 2.2°C | 9.5°C | -1.4°C | 118 mm | 93% | 5.2 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2011 | 3.9°C | 2.3°C | 0.7°C | 9.4°C | -3.9°C | 100 mm | 94% | 3.5 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2010 | 2.5°C | 0.7°C | -1.0°C | 7.6°C | -6.0°C | 65 mm | 95% | 3.9 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2009 | 4.7°C | 3.2°C | 1.6°C | 9.1°C | -3.2°C | 123 mm | 94% | 4.8 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2008 🌧️ | 6.2°C | 4.6°C | 3.0°C | 10.8°C | -1.1°C | 206 mm | 94% | 5.3 m/s | 0.4 |
| 2007 | 7.2°C | 5.4°C | 3.6°C | 10.8°C | -1.2°C | 162 mm | 93% | 6.2 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2006 | 5.8°C | 4.1°C | 2.4°C | 10.2°C | -1.1°C | 76 mm | 95% | 4 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2005 | 7.1°C | 5.1°C | 3.1°C | 10.6°C | -1.8°C | 138 mm | 93% | 6.3 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2004 | 5.8°C | 4.3°C | 2.7°C | 9.4°C | -1.7°C | 173 mm | 95% | 4.7 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2003 | 5.0°C | 3.3°C | 1.5°C | 10.7°C | -4.7°C | 115 mm | 94% | 5.2 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2002 | 6.8°C | 5.0°C | 3.3°C | 9.9°C | -2.2°C | 141 mm | 95% | 5.2 m/s | 0.5 |
| 2001 | 3.8°C | 2.3°C | 0.9°C | 6.8°C | -3.5°C | 71 mm | 95% | 3.8 m/s | 0.6 |
| 2000 | 6.1°C | 4.3°C | 2.6°C | 9.0°C | -0.9°C | 118 mm | 94% | 4.8 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1999 | 5.7°C | 4.1°C | 2.6°C | 8.8°C | -1.0°C | 173 mm | 94% | 5.1 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1998 | 5.5°C | 3.9°C | 2.2°C | 10.1°C | -1.7°C | 139 mm | 94% | 4.5 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1997 | 3.8°C | 2.1°C | 0.5°C | 8.8°C | -4.2°C | 35 mm | 96% | 3 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1996 | 4.6°C | 3.4°C | 2.2°C | 9.0°C | -2.9°C | 93 mm | 94% | 5.7 m/s | 0.4 |
| 1995 | 4.7°C | 2.8°C | 0.8°C | 9.4°C | -3.6°C | 157 mm | 93% | 5.6 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1994 | 4.8°C | 3.2°C | 1.7°C | 8.3°C | -1.3°C | 136 mm | 94% | 5.6 m/s | 0.4 |
| 1993 | 6.4°C | 4.2°C | 2.0°C | 10.6°C | -1.1°C | 193 mm | 91% | 7.2 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1992 | 5.4°C | 3.8°C | 2.1°C | 10.2°C | -1.8°C | 95 mm | 95% | 4 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1991 | 4.0°C | 2.3°C | 0.6°C | 9.8°C | -1.7°C | 116 mm | 94% | 4.9 m/s | 0.4 |
| 1990 | 6.9°C | 5.2°C | 3.6°C | 10.8°C | 0.5°C | 190 mm | 94% | 6.2 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1989 🔥 | 7.6°C | 6.1°C | 4.6°C | 9.9°C | 1.6°C | 132 mm | 94% | 6 m/s | 0.4 |
| 1988 | 4.9°C | 3.4°C | 2.0°C | 9.7°C | -1.0°C | 156 mm | 94% | 4.8 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1987 | 2.1°C | 0.5°C | -1.0°C | 7.3°C | -6.6°C | 50 mm | 93% | 3.6 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1986 | 3.7°C | 2.1°C | 0.5°C | 9.0°C | -4.3°C | 132 mm | 93% | 5.7 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1985 ❄️ | 1.4°C | -0.5°C | -2.3°C | 7.3°C | -9.0°C | 57 mm | 95% | 3.3 m/s | 0.6 |
| 1984 | 3.3°C | 1.4°C | -0.4°C | 9.3°C | -7.6°C | 180 mm | 92% | 5.7 m/s | 0.5 |
| 1983 | 6.5°C | 4.8°C | 3.0°C | 10.5°C | -2.3°C | 156 mm | 92% | 7.1 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 3.1°C | 1.3°C | -0.5°C | 8.8°C | -11.3°C | 141 mm | 96% | 4.4 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 5.8°C | 3.8°C | 1.8°C | 9.4°C | -1.9°C | 123 mm | 93% | 5.1 m/s | — |
Actual recorded January data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in January is around 5.2°C with lows near 1.8°C (mean 3.5°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
January averages 124 mm of rainfall in Irvine, a relatively wet time of year. The wettest on record was 206 mm in 2008.
The hottest January reached 11.3°C in 2015. The coldest dipped to -11.3°C in 1982.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average January temperatures have risen by about 1.5°C. Daytime highs moved from 4°C to 5.4°C and overnight lows from 0.3°C to 2.1°C over the same span.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Irvine and a relatively wet time of year, so plan for around 5.2°C daytime highs and 1.8°C at night.
Yes — January is the coldest month of the year in Irvine, averaging 3.5°C.
For January in Irvine, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 5.2°C and lows of 1.8°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in January averages 94% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in January is 4.9 m/s. The windiest January on record averaged 7.2 m/s (1993).
The wettest January on record was 2008 with 206 mm. On average, January sees 124 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Irvine behaves each January, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for January specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
