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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Sarasota in January

Sarasota in January is historically a poor month for sun: only 17% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 68°F). April is the clearest month for Sarasota historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Sarasota page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late January

Clear-sky percentage for Sarasota in January, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early January
1st–15th		 18% n=120 68°F
Late January
16th–end		 17% n=128 68°F
Full month average 17% n=248 68°F

Sunshine & warmth in January

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Sarasota in January. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early January
1st–15th		 35% n=120
Late January
16th–end		 25% n=128
Full month average 30% n=248
10.1 h median sunshine per day 77% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 24% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 17%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 30%. The 13-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Sarasota is a poor choice for sun in January: just 17% of days clear historically (n=248). April is the historically strongest month for sun here. The 8-year record is consistent — this is not a fluke bad stretch.

→ See all destinations in April — historically the best month for sun in Sarasota.

Every month in Sarasota

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Sarasota, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January ← this page 17% n=248 All destinations →
February 38% n=226 All destinations →
March 49% n=248 All destinations →
April 50% n=240 All destinations →
May 40% n=248 All destinations →
June 8% n=240 All destinations →
July 5% n=248 All destinations →
August 5% n=248 All destinations →
September 11% n=240 All destinations →
October 39% n=248 All destinations →
November 42% n=240 All destinations →
December 31% n=248 All destinations →

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.