January is one of the cooler months of the year in Palm Desert, with average highs near 17.9°C and lows around 5.8°C (mean 11.9°C). It is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 41 mm of rainfall and 50% relative humidity across the period.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Palm Desert. Across 45 years of records, the warmest January in Palm Desert was 2014 — when the month averaged 16.4°C — while the coldest were 1985 and 1989 at 9.2°C. Typical January days reach 17.9°C with nights near 5.8°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.5°C per decade.
January is a relatively wet time of year in Palm Desert, averaging 41 mm of rainfall. The wettest January on record was 1993 with 284 mm, while the driest was 2022 at 2 mm.
Relative humidity in Palm Desert during January averages 50%. The most humid January was 1993 at 73%, and the least humid was 2014 at 27%.
January receives about 3.3 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Palm Desert. The sunniest January was 2006 at 3.7 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 1993 and 1995 at 2.8.
Average wind speed in Palm Desert during January is 1.7 m/s. The windiest January was 1982 at 2.2 m/s, while the calmest were 1998 and 2015 at 1.4 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 10.8°C | 11.5°C | 12.1°C | 12.7°C | 12.3°C | +1.5°C |
| Avg High | 17.1°C | 17.5°C | 18.1°C | 18.7°C | 18.4°C | +1.3°C |
| Avg Low | 4.5°C | 5.5°C | 6.1°C | 6.8°C | 6.3°C | +1.8°C |
| Avg Rain | 34 mm | 73 mm | 31 mm | 36 mm | 24 mm | -11 mm |
January temperatures in Palm Desert have risen by about 1.3°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
January has ranged from a record low of -3.7°C (1987) to a record high of 28.8°C (2003).
Rainfall in January is a relatively wet time of year, averaging 41 mm, with a wettest year of 284 mm.
A quieter season to visit Palm Desert
If your dates are flexible, the more temperate months of October and May tend to be the most comfortable for visiting Palm Desert. That said, January — with days averaging 17.9°C and nights around 5.8°C (mean 11.9°C) and moderate rainfall (41 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 | 18.4°C | 12.0°C | 5.5°C | 25.2°C | 0.9°C | 6 mm | 35% | 2 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2024 | 18.3°C | 12.5°C | 6.7°C | 24.0°C | 0.7°C | 41 mm | 54% | 1.6 m/s | 3.2 |
| 2023 | 15.8°C | 10.6°C | 5.5°C | 20.4°C | 0.9°C | 67 mm | 59% | 1.9 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2022 | 19.5°C | 13.1°C | 6.8°C | 23.8°C | -0.9°C | 2 mm | 42% | 1.6 m/s | 3.4 |
| 2021 | 18.5°C | 12.6°C | 6.8°C | 26.7°C | -0.1°C | 25 mm | 44% | 1.7 m/s | 3.4 |
| 2020 | 19.7°C | 13.1°C | 6.5°C | 23.6°C | 2.3°C | 3 mm | 51% | 1.6 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2019 | 17.7°C | 12.1°C | 6.5°C | 24.6°C | -1.6°C | 41 mm | 54% | 1.5 m/s | 3.2 |
| 2018 | 21.3°C | 15.5°C | 9.6°C | 26.9°C | 2.6°C | 28 mm | 41% | 1.6 m/s | 3.4 |
| 2017 | 15.7°C | 10.4°C | 5.2°C | 22.9°C | 0.9°C | 70 mm | 64% | 2 m/s | 3 |
| 2016 | 17.1°C | 11.4°C | 5.7°C | 24.3°C | -0.2°C | 52 mm | 57% | 1.6 m/s | 3.2 |
| 2015 | 19.4°C | 13.9°C | 8.3°C | 25.9°C | -1.8°C | 11 mm | 46% | 1.4 m/s | 3.3 |
| 2014 🔥 | 23.0°C | 16.4°C | 9.8°C | 27.4°C | 4.7°C | 2 mm | 27% | 1.5 m/s | 3.5 |
| 2013 | 16.2°C | 10.0°C | 3.8°C | 22.2°C | -3.2°C | 23 mm | 44% | 1.7 m/s | 3.5 |
| 2012 | 20.6°C | 13.9°C | 7.3°C | 26.4°C | 0.3°C | 9 mm | 35% | 1.7 m/s | 3.5 |
| 2011 | 18.1°C | 11.8°C | 5.6°C | 27.7°C | -2.0°C | 9 mm | 49% | 1.7 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2010 | 17.5°C | 11.9°C | 6.3°C | 21.7°C | 2.5°C | 116 mm | 54% | 1.7 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2009 | 19.8°C | 13.4°C | 7.0°C | 24.4°C | 0.1°C | 2 mm | 45% | 1.8 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2008 | 15.1°C | 9.8°C | 4.4°C | 20.5°C | 0.3°C | 99 mm | 59% | 1.8 m/s | 3.3 |
| 2007 | 16.0°C | 9.6°C | 3.2°C | 23.3°C | -3.3°C | 7 mm | 39% | 2.1 m/s | 3.6 |
| 2006 | 18.7°C | 12.3°C | 5.9°C | 22.8°C | 1.4°C | 20 mm | 44% | 1.9 m/s | 3.7 |
| 2005 | 16.6°C | 11.6°C | 6.5°C | 23.3°C | 2.5°C | 112 mm | 68% | 1.6 m/s | 3 |
| 2004 | 18.2°C | 12.2°C | 6.2°C | 23.3°C | 0.6°C | 6 mm | 46% | 1.6 m/s | 3.4 |
| 2003 | 22.4°C | 16.0°C | 9.7°C | 28.8°C | 4.2°C | 7 mm | 43% | 1.6 m/s | 3.5 |
| 2002 | 17.8°C | 11.5°C | 5.3°C | 24.9°C | -1.5°C | 7 mm | 41% | 1.7 m/s | 3.5 |
| 2001 | 16.2°C | 10.5°C | 4.8°C | 23.7°C | -0.5°C | 37 mm | 50% | 1.5 m/s | 3.1 |
| 2000 | 20.2°C | 13.9°C | 7.5°C | 25.2°C | 2.2°C | 13 mm | 47% | 1.6 m/s | 3.3 |
| 1999 | 20.0°C | 13.4°C | 6.8°C | 25.1°C | 1.5°C | 14 mm | 42% | 1.8 m/s | 3.4 |
| 1998 | 18.0°C | 12.3°C | 6.6°C | 22.8°C | 0.7°C | 50 mm | 59% | 1.4 m/s | 3.3 |
| 1997 | 17.3°C | 11.5°C | 5.6°C | 25.0°C | 0.4°C | 61 mm | 62% | 2 m/s | 3 |
| 1996 | 19.9°C | 13.1°C | 6.2°C | 27.2°C | 1.5°C | 43 mm | 45% | 1.9 m/s | 3.2 |
| 1995 | 15.1°C | 10.1°C | 5.1°C | 21.5°C | 1.1°C | 157 mm | 72% | 1.7 m/s | 2.8 |
| 1994 | 19.0°C | 12.5°C | 6.1°C | 24.2°C | 0.3°C | 16 mm | 39% | 1.7 m/s | 3.5 |
| 1993 🌧️ | 14.4°C | 9.5°C | 4.6°C | 22.2°C | -2.3°C | 284 mm | 73% | 1.6 m/s | 2.8 |
| 1992 | 16.3°C | 10.2°C | 4.2°C | 23.8°C | 0.0°C | 38 mm | 51% | 1.7 m/s | 3.4 |
| 1991 | 17.7°C | 11.2°C | 4.7°C | 24.3°C | 1.1°C | 22 mm | 49% | 1.5 m/s | 3.3 |
| 1990 | 17.2°C | 10.9°C | 4.6°C | 25.0°C | -0.5°C | 43 mm | 48% | 1.7 m/s | 3.5 |
| 1989 | 15.8°C | 9.2°C | 2.6°C | 22.5°C | -2.1°C | 25 mm | 48% | 2 m/s | 3.4 |
| 1988 | 16.1°C | 9.8°C | 3.4°C | 21.2°C | -2.9°C | 51 mm | 52% | 1.8 m/s | 3.2 |
| 1987 | 16.3°C | 9.8°C | 3.2°C | 22.2°C | -3.7°C | 33 mm | 49% | 1.9 m/s | 3.3 |
| 1986 | 20.3°C | 14.0°C | 7.6°C | 25.3°C | 2.6°C | 18 mm | 52% | 1.5 m/s | 3.2 |
| 1985 ❄️ | 15.2°C | 9.2°C | 3.2°C | 22.2°C | -3.4°C | 21 mm | 58% | 1.8 m/s | 3.2 |
| 1984 | 17.8°C | 11.4°C | 5.0°C | 22.7°C | -1.0°C | 4 mm | 48% | 2 m/s | 3.3 |
| 1983 | 17.3°C | 11.2°C | 5.1°C | 22.9°C | -1.0°C | 49 mm | 58% | 1.7 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 16.1°C | 9.5°C | 3.0°C | 22.3°C | -3.2°C | 78 mm | 53% | 2.2 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 19.0°C | 13.2°C | 7.4°C | 25.1°C | -0.8°C | 30 mm | 49% | 1.6 m/s | — |
Actual recorded January data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in January is around 17.9°C with lows near 5.8°C (mean 11.9°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
January averages 41 mm of rainfall in Palm Desert, a relatively wet time of year. The wettest on record was 284 mm in 1993.
The hottest January reached 28.8°C in 2003. The coldest dipped to -3.7°C in 1987.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average January temperatures have risen by about 1.3°C. Daytime highs moved from 17.1°C to 18.1°C and overnight lows from 4.7°C to 6.3°C over the same span.
January is one of the cooler months of the year in Palm Desert and a relatively wet time of year, so plan for around 17.9°C daytime highs and 5.8°C at night.
Yes — January is the coldest month of the year in Palm Desert, averaging 11.9°C.
For January in Palm Desert, pack warm layers and a jacket for chilly mornings, with typical highs of 17.9°C and lows of 5.8°C.
Relative humidity in January averages 50% — relatively dry.
Average wind speed in January is 1.7 m/s. The windiest January on record averaged 2.2 m/s (1982).
The wettest January on record was 1993 with 284 mm. On average, January sees 41 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 Palm Desert 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.
