South Africa weather in January - temperature, rain and is it a good time to visit?

January is one of the best months for a holiday in South Africa.

Weather in January at a glance

Daytime temperature: 28°C
Night-time temperature: 17°C
Daylight hours: 14h10min
Chance of rain: 17%
Days with thunderstorms: 1%
Muggy days: 76%

An overview for the country. Conditions can vary between cities and regions.

Plan your trip · January

South Africa in January: weather for a week away

Compare destinations and see how many days of a typical trip met your preferred temperature range, with less than 1 mm of daily precipitation.

Historical dataNASA POWER1981-2025

City or region

Compare with history

What weather do you prefer?

Cape Town in January: Sightseeing

1981-2025

Daytime temperature 18-28°CDaily precipitation Less than 1 mm

Days matching your plans

6.3 / 7

Weekly average; typical number of days: 6-7

At least 5 matching days

93%

of historical weeks

All 7 days match

58%

of historical weeks

How many matching days were there in a week?

Each bar shows the share of historical weeks.

0days

1day

<1%

2days

3days

4days

10%

5days

25%

6days

58%

7days

5-7 days matching your preferences

When to go? Compare the months

Average matching days per week

6.3Jan 6.4Feb 5.9Mar 4.4Apr 2.8May 0.7Jun 0.3Jul 0.4Aug 1.1Sept 2.8Oct 4.6Nov 6Dec

The highest average was in February: 6.4 matching days per week.

South Africa in January: which destinations match most often?

Comparison of 10 cities and regions using your selected conditions.

Cape Town · 1981-2025

Hot days and warm nights in January

Does the temperature drop below 20°C during hot weather?

—No hot days in these records

5%of weeks with at least 3 warm nights*

None of the 1,395 days reached 30°C. There are no hot days to compare, although warm nights may still occur.

* A warm night is represented by the daily minimum ≥20°C. Maximum and minimum refer to the same day; this does not isolate the night following a particular hot day.

Cape Town · Your holiday week

How much can temperatures change during a week?

Check cooler hours as well as afternoon temperatures.

Coolest time of day16.6-18°CWeekly minimum: typical range

Warmest day22.5-24.9°CWeekly maximum: typical range

3.6°CTypical difference between the highest and lowest daytime maxima in a week

How often does it get cooler from one day to the next?

2%of weeks with a day-to-day drop in maximum temperature of at least 5°C

Daytime temperatures usually changed gradually, but allow for cooler hours when packing.

Ranges are the 20th-80th percentiles of whole-week minima and maxima, not forecast limits. Cooling compares consecutive daily maxima, not day and night temperatures.

Compare all destinations

18-28°C · Less than 1 mm · 1981-2025
City or region	Days matching your plans	At least 5 matching days	All 7 days match
Cape Town	6.3 / 7	93%	58%
Eastern Cape	1 / 7	<1%	<1%
Johannesburg	0.6 / 7	<1%	0%
Bloemfontein	0.1 / 7	0%	0%
Welkom	0.1 / 7	0%	0%
East London	3 / 7	22%	3%
Durban	3.2 / 7	21%	2%
Pretoria	0.1 / 7	0%	0%
Port Elizabeth	4.9 / 7	63%	17%
Soweto	0.5 / 7	<1%	0%

Where do the figures come from?

The analysis includes 1,125 complete 7-day periods out of 1,125 possible periods in 45 years (1981-2025), for Cape Town. Every week lies entirely within the selected month. Overlapping weeks are not independent samples. Incomplete weeks are excluded.

A matching day has a daily maximum within the selected temperature range, inclusive, and precipitation below 1 mm. Trace precipitation is possible. The typical range is the 20th-80th percentile of matching days per week. Daily percentages count each calendar day once; categories can overlap.

NASA POWER provides daily MERRA-2 grid data for each location, not city weather-station measurements or an area-wide country average. These are historical frequencies, not a forecast or a measure of forecast accuracy. This comparison does not include cloud, wind, humidity, sea temperature or changes within the day, and does not assess outdoor safety. Check the current forecast before travelling. NASA POWER Daily API.

Historical frequency, not a forecast for your travel dates.

South Africa - January vs the year - annual climate

In January, South Africa averages about 28° during the day and 17° at night. It's usually fairly dry, with only about a 17% chance of rain.

Historical weather 1981-2025

Weather in South Africa in January: trends from 1981 to 2025

NASA POWER

From 2016 to 2025, the average daytime high was 28.5°C, 1.4°C warmer than in 1981-1990. 2016 was the warmest (29.5°C), while 2006 was the coolest (25.6°C).

Differences between years

How similar is the weather in January from year to year?

In 60% of the years compared, temperature and the number of wet days were close to typical for this month.

Similar means an average daily maximum within 2°C and a wet-day count within 3 days of the 1991-2020 medians. This is historical similarity, not forecast accuracy.

60%of years with similar conditions

Typical average daytime high26.4°C–29.2°C

Typical number of wet days12–18 days

Daytime temperatures in January: year by year

Monthly average daily maximum temperature: compare individual years and the longer-term trend.

45 years of data

Coolest month25.6°C 2006

Warmest month29.5°C 2016

Latest year in the data29°C 2025

Average for each year5-year average1991-2020 reference: 27.9°C

Blue band: the 20th-80th percentile of monthly averages in 1991-2020. The thicker line is the average of five consecutive years. Highlights describe whole months, not single-day records.

View temperatures for every year

Year	Average daytime maximum	5-year average
1981	26.1°C	-
1982	26.2°C	-
1983	28.9°C	-
1984	27.4°C	-
1985	28.5°C	27.4°C
1986	26.3°C	27.5°C
1987	26.4°C	27.5°C
1988	27.9°C	27.3°C
1989	25.8°C	27°C
1990	27.6°C	26.8°C
1991	27.6°C	27.1°C
1992	29.3°C	27.6°C
1993	29.3°C	27.9°C
1994	26.2°C	28°C
1995	28.3°C	28.1°C
1996	26.4°C	27.9°C
1997	27.1°C	27.5°C
1998	27.5°C	27.1°C
1999	27.6°C	27.4°C
2000	26.2°C	27°C
2001	29.3°C	27.5°C
2002	27.7°C	27.7°C
2003	29.1°C	28°C
2004	27.2°C	27.9°C
2005	26.9°C	28°C
2006	25.6°C	27.3°C
2007	29.2°C	27.6°C
2008	26.3°C	27°C
2009	27.9°C	27.2°C
2010	26.4°C	27.1°C
2011	26.1°C	27.2°C
2012	28.9°C	27.1°C
2013	28.9°C	27.6°C
2014	28.9°C	27.8°C
2015	29.2°C	28.4°C
2016	29.5°C	29.1°C
2017	27.1°C	28.7°C
2018	29.5°C	28.8°C
2019	28.8°C	28.8°C
2020	28.1°C	28.6°C
2021	27.1°C	28.1°C
2022	27.1°C	28.1°C
2023	29.1°C	28°C
2024	29.4°C	28.2°C
2025	29°C	28.3°C

How has January changed since the 1980s?

A comparison of 1981-1990 with 2016-2025 shows how temperatures, rainfall and the frequency of longer hot spells have changed.

In the latest decade, the average daytime high was 1.4°C warmer than in 1981-1990.

Daytime high

1981-199027.1°C2016-202528.5°C

change: +1.4°C

Hot days

1981-19903.5 days2016-20259.2 days

change: +5.7 days

Warm nights

1981-19900.2 days2016-20250.8 days

change: +0.6 days

Wet days

1981-199016.7 days2016-202512.7 days

change: −4 days

Years with a heatwave

1981-199050%2016-202570%

change: +20 pp

How often does January bring heat, frost and rain?

Typical number of days and monthly precipitation based on the 1991-2020 climate normal.

Warm days29 dayshigh of at least 25°C

Hot days7 dayshigh of at least 30°C

Frost nights0 dayslow below 0°C

Warm nights0 dayslow of at least 20°C

Wet days16 daysat least 1 mm

Monthly rainfall57 mmtypical total

How often does it rain in South Africa in January?

The chances use every consecutive 3-, 5- and 7-day period from 1981 to 2025. A wet day has at least 1 mm of precipitation.

A full seven days without rain occurred in 7% of historical periods. At least one wet day occurred in 93% of weeks.

3 rain-free days26%historical chance

5 rain-free days14%historical chance

7 rain-free days7%historical chance

Longest dry spell6 daystypical in the month

Longest wet spell6 daystypical in the month

Heatwaves, warm nights and cool spells in January

The percentages show years with at least one run of three consecutive days or nights meeting the stated threshold.

Heatwave53%3 days with highs of at least 30°C24 of 45 years · most often: Days 1-10

Run of warm nights2%3 nights with lows of at least 20°C1 of 45 years · most often: Days 1-10

Run of frosty nights0%3 nights with lows below 0°C0 of 45 years

Marked cool spell64%3 days with highs no greater than 25.8°C29 of 45 years · most often: Days 1-10

Highest and lowest values since 1981

Highest temperature37.5°C6 January 2016

Coolest night9.5°C3 January 2001

Wettest day29.6 mm24 January 1981

Start, middle or end of the month - when is the weather most stable?

We compare temperatures, dry days, heavy rain and wind. The highlighted period usually has the lowest combined risk of rain and stronger winds.

Days 1-10

28.1°CDaytime high17.2°CNight

Dry days: 5 days
Heavy-rain risk: 2%
Hot days: 24%
Stronger wind: 1%

Days 11-20most stable

27.8°CDaytime high17.1°CNight

Dry days: 6 days
Heavy-rain risk: 2%
Hot days: 18%
Stronger wind: 0%

Day 21 to month end

27.8°CDaytime high17.3°CNight

Dry days: 5 days
Heavy-rain risk: 2%
Hot days: 18%
Stronger wind: 0%

The most stable conditions for rain and wind usually occur during: Days 11-20.

Country values are the median of data for 10 cities covered by the site. Source: NASA POWER daily gridded data (MERRA-2), 1981-2025; 1991-2020 climate normal. These are area-based model data and can differ from official weather-station records.

South Africa weather all year - average temperatures and rain

Month	Day	Night	Chance of rain
January ★	28℃	17℃	17%
February ★	28℃	17℃	12%
March ★	26℃	16℃	23%
April ★	24℃	13℃	12%
May	22℃	10℃	4%
June	19℃	8℃	5%
July	20℃	7℃	2%
August	21℃	8℃	2%
September	25℃	11℃	10%
October ★	26℃	13℃	16%
November ★	27℃	14℃	25%
December ★	28℃	16℃	12%

★ - months most often recommended for travel

Where is it warmest in South Africa in January? Weather by city

For each city, we show the average daytime temperature and the warmest and coolest year. The comparison uses the average daily high across the whole of January, not a single extreme day.

Place	Day	Night	January 1981-2025	Sea	Chance of rain
Bloemfontein	32℃	16℃	Average32°C Warmest year1983 · 35.7°C Coolest year2011 · 27.8°C Warmest day42.4°C · 6 Jan 2016 Coolest day17.7°C · 14 Jan 2000	-	38%
Durban	29℃	22℃	Average25.3°C Warmest year2025 · 26.4°C Coolest year2018 · 24.4°C Warmest day29.9°C · 21 Jan 1991 Coolest day21.5°C · 2 Jan 2001	25℃	0%
Johannesburg	28℃	16℃	Average28°C Warmest year2001 · 31°C Coolest year2006 · 24.8°C Warmest day38.8°C · 7 Jan 2016 Coolest day16.9°C · 9 Jan 1991	-	0%
Welkom	28℃	17℃	Average31.3°C Warmest year1992 · 34.2°C Coolest year2011 · 27.5°C Warmest day41.6°C · 6 Jan 2016 Coolest day18.4°C · 2 Jan 2021	-	0%
Pretoria	28℃	19℃	Average31°C Warmest year2001 · 34°C Coolest year2006 · 27.1°C Warmest day40.7°C · 7 Jan 2016 Coolest day19.4°C · 9 Jan 1991	-	32%
Soweto	28℃	16℃	Average28.5°C Warmest year2001 · 31.1°C Coolest year2006 · 25.3°C Warmest day39.4°C · 7 Jan 2016 Coolest day16.5°C · 9 Jan 1991	-	0%
Cape Town	27℃	17℃	Average21.6°C Warmest year2016 · 23.4°C Coolest year2023 · 20.2°C Warmest day29.2°C · 8 Jan 2022 Coolest day16.8°C · 9 Jan 1998	15℃	17%
East London	26℃	19℃	Average24.5°C Warmest year2014 · 25.5°C Coolest year1982 · 23.6°C Warmest day32.1°C · 3 Jan 1985 Coolest day19.5°C · 2 Jan 2001	19℃	37%
Port Elizabeth	26℃	18℃	Average24.6°C Warmest year2012 · 25.6°C Coolest year2001 · 23.7°C Warmest day35.7°C · 22 Jan 1996 Coolest day18°C · 14 Jan 2001	20℃	38%

Temperature records in South Africa: January compared with the whole year

The comparison uses daily high temperatures from 1981-2025 for the 9 cities shown in the table.

Warmest day in January42.4°C Bloemfontein · 6 January 2016

Warmest day of the year42.4°C Bloemfontein · 6 January 2016

Coolest day in January16.5°C Soweto · 9 January 1991

Coolest day of the year3.1°C Welkom · 7 July 1996

These are records in NASA POWER gridded data for the analysed cities, not official national weather-station records.

Travelling soon? Check the live 14-day weather forecast for South Africa.

South Africa weather - other months

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember