Insider Blog: January 2026 Weather Recap
January was an overall warm month with more days ABOVE normal. It was also pretty dry with very little rain. Take a look at our weather recap and stats for the month of January.
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - All of January, we had more days ABOVE normal for the month. Yuma also TIED a daily high temperature record of 81 degrees on January. We also had one day, where Yuma had MM (missing) data, so the high temperature wasn't recorded on January 19th.
The warmest days of the month were on January 14 and January 31 with a high of 81 degrees. The coolest daytime high was on January 9, when Yuma reached 60 degrees.
It's been an overall dry month, with one day where Yuma had light rain one day out of the month. It was too small to measure, and it was recorded as a TRACE amount on January 1.
The rain we did get this month put us behind our monthly rain total average for the month. We accumulated TRACE, and our average for January is 0.39", which leaves us below -0.39" for the month.
Now, this month isn't ranked the wettest, but it's ranked 149th in terms of being the driest. Our number one wettest for January is 2.83" in 1897.
Now, let's look at where Yuma stands with our yearly rain total. Since the start of the year, so far for 2026, Yuma has accumulated a TRACE amount, which is too small to measure. And comparing it with our 2026 yearly average, we actually should be at 0.39," which is below normal.
However, with what Yuma has accumulated so far for 2026 and comparing it to our total around this same time back in 2025, we were actually at 0.00" in 2025.
We can't forget about our drought conditions, but we have seen HUGE improvements within the last several months.
At the start of the year in 2025, the majority of the Desert Southwest was under severe drought, with a chunk of La Paz in extreme drought.
Take a look at our drought conditions in January 2025.
At the start of this year, January 2026, the majority of the Desert Southwest wasn't having any drought, just a little of dry drought conditions for a small part of Yuma and La Paz Counties. Take a look.
TODAY: The last drought monitor for January was on January 27, and it was showing that the majority of Yuma and Imperial County isn't displaying drought.
The Desert Southwest is now only seeing no or a little bit of dry drought conditions in parts of Yuma and La Paz counties.
You can also check our drought conditions weekly for both Arizona and California.
Here's a look at the January 2026 Climate Summary stats from the National Weather Service Phoenix. Yuma had an above normal mean temperature for the month, with an average high of 72.3 degrees. Plus, Yuma also had below normal precipitation as well.
El Centro also had above normal mean temperature for the month, with an average high of 73.8 degrees. El Centro also had below normal precipitation.
You can also read more about Yuma and El Centro's 2026 January Climate Stats Data Report for the month from the NWS Phoenix.
January 2026, for El Centro, finished with an average temperature 3.7° above normal, which tied it for the fifth warmest January on record. Take a look below.
