ERA5 almanac comparison — 8 years of real data
Houston vs Santa Barbara: weather in January
Santa Barbara edges out Houston for sun in January: 19% clear historically versus 2% (8-year ERA5 average, a 17-point gap). Houston also sees measurably more rain than Santa Barbara this month (38% vs 18% of days). Both are viable — Santa Barbara is the safer bet.
What you are reading: 8-year historical averages, not a forecast.
Either destination can still surprise you this specific January. For this
week’s actual forecast, each destination links to its live page below.
Houston
TX
- Clear days, January
- 2%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 62°F
- Early January (1st–15th)
- 4%
- Late January (16th–end)
- 0%
- Rain frequency
- 38% of days
Santa Barbara
CA
- Clear days, January
- 19%
- Sample size
- n=248 days
- Avg high
- 67°F
- Early January (1st–15th)
- 14%
- Late January (16th–end)
- 23%
- Rain frequency
- 18% of days
Compare Houston vs Santa Barbara in another month
All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.