Alice Springs weather in January

In January, Alice Springs sees average daytime highs of 36°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 41 mm of rain across 4.1 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 36°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of January to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Alice Springs's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alice Springs's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
1st warmest
Overnight low
23°
12th coldest
Rainfall
41 mm
4.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
6:04 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
34%
10th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.7 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Alice Springs is city in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Density
174/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 36°C through the month.

A typical January day in Alice Springs reaches about 36°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 41°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C warmer than February.

20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13622
23623
33623
43623
53623
63623
73623
83623
93623
103623
113623
123623
133623
143623
153623
163623
173623
183623
193623
203623
213623
223623
233623
243623
253623
263623
273623
283623
293623
303623
313623

How January really feels in Alice Springs

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Alice Springs weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 23°414.113.32.4
Feb35° / 22°404.212.83.0
Mar33° / 19°192.212.24.6
Apr29° / 14°151.411.57.3
May23° / 171.910.98.7
Jun20° / 91.510.68.1
Jul20° / 81.110.78.5
Aug23° / 40.911.29.2
Sep28° / 12°71.411.97.8
Oct31° / 16°162.512.65.6
Nov34° / 19°203.913.13.8
Dec35° / 22°384.813.42.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28020
38020
48020
58020
67921
78020
88020
97921
107921
117822
127822
137723
147723
157723
167624
177624
187624
197624
207624
217723
227723
237723
247723
257723
267723
277723
287723
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Alice Springs gets around 41 mm of rain over 4.1 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 14% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
210
310
411
511
612
712
813
913
1014
1115
1215
1316
1416
1516
1616
1716
1816
1916
2016
2115
2215
2315
2415
2515
2615
2715
2815
2915
3015
3115

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17510852
27610752
37410763
47410763
57410763
67210873
77210873
87110883
97010884
106910894
116910894
1267109104
1366119104
1465119114
15641110114
16641110114
17631210114
18631210114
19631210114
20611311114
21611311114
22611311114
23591412114
24591412114
25591412114
26591413113
27591413113
28581413123
29581413123
30591313123
31591313123

Wind in January

Winds average 15 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of January to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 7:21 PM to 7:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:547:21
213.45:557:21
313.45:567:21
413.45:567:22
513.45:577:22
613.45:587:22
713.45:587:22
813.45:597:22
913.46:007:23
1013.46:007:23
1113.46:017:23
1213.46:027:23
1313.36:027:23
1413.36:037:23
1513.36:047:23
1613.36:047:23
1713.36:057:23
1813.36:067:23
1913.36:067:23
2013.36:077:23
2113.36:087:23
2213.26:097:23
2313.26:097:23
2413.26:107:23
2513.26:117:22
2613.26:117:22
2713.26:127:22
2813.16:137:22
2913.16:137:21
3013.16:147:21
3113.16:157:21

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.7 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.93 kWh/m² to a high of 7.7 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 7.7 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.0Intense
28.0Intense
38.0Intense
48.0Intense
58.0Intense
67.9Intense
77.9Intense
87.8Intense
97.8Intense
107.8Intense
117.7Intense
127.7Intense
137.6Intense
147.6Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.4Intense
207.4Intense
217.4Intense
227.4Intense
237.4Intense
247.4Intense
257.4Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.3Intense
297.3Intense
307.3Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Alice Springs?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

2.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Alice Springs.

What to pack for Alice Springs in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Alice Springs sees daytime highs around 36°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Alice Springs in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alice Springs peaks around January 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 6 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 12UV 15Jun 22UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Very high
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct13Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec15Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Alice Springs?

Alice Springs sits at 23.7°S, 133.9°E, 583 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Uluru, 339 km away.

UluruMount IsaWhyallaBroken HillPalmerstonDarwinGawlerParalowie

Topography around Alice Springs

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Alice Springs.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alice Springs has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m around an average of 591 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 406 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 819 m.

The land around Alice Springs is covered by grassland (36%), artificial surfaces (31%) and shrubs (26%) within 3 km, grassland (51%) and shrubs (45%) within 16 km, and grassland (50%) and shrubs (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
83 m
16 km
406 m
80 km
819 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Uluru 339 km · Mount Isa 666 km · Whyalla 1,098 km · Broken Hill 1,182 km · Palmerston 1,284 km · Darwin 1,290 km · Gawler 1,301 km · Paralowie 1,312 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Alice Springs (-23.6975°, 133.8836°, elevation 583 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).