Central Coast weather in January

In January, Central Coast sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 78 mm of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of January to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Central Coast's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Central Coast's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
1st warmest
Overnight low
19°
11th coldest
Rainfall
78 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
6:04 AM – 8:03 PM
Cloud cover
54%
9th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10
Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.5 µg/m³ · 2019

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Central Coast reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12519
22519
32519
42519
52519
62519
72619
82619
92619
102619
112619
122619
132619
142619
152619
162619
172620
182620
192620
202620
212620
222620
232620
242620
252620
262620
272620
282620
292620
302620
312620

Central Coast weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 1st-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 19°7810.5146.7
Feb25° / 20°10111.113.26.5
Mar24° / 18°891212.36.8
Apr22° / 15°7710.211.26.8
May19° / 13°709.110.36.5
Jun17° / 11°869.69.85.7
Jul17° / 497.2105.9
Aug18° / 10°496.510.86.7
Sep20° / 12°516.811.87.1
Oct22° / 14°628.512.87.0
Nov23° / 16°811013.76.8
Dec25° / 18°7010.314.27.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35644
45644
55644
65545
75644
85545
95545
105545
115644
125644
135644
145644
155545
165545
175446
185347
195347
205248
215248
225347
235347
245347
255347
265347
275347
285347
295347
305347
315446

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Central Coast gets around 78 mm of rain over 10.5 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
232
332
432
532
632
732
832
932
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1534
1634
1734
1835
1935
2036
2136
2236
2337
2437
2537
2637
2737
2837
2936
3036
3136

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 39% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 44% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1121943261
2111942261
3111941271
4111940291
5111939301
6111838312
7111838322
8101837332
9101836342
10101835352
11101834362
1291833372
1391733383
1491732393
1581632403
1681631414
1771531425
1871530435
1961430446
2061430446
2161329457
2251329467
2351229468
2451228478
2551228478
2651228479
2751228479
2851228469
2951228469
3041229459
3141229459

Wind in January

Winds average 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of January to 13 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:52 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 8:03 PM to 7:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.25:528:03
214.25:538:03
314.25:548:03
414.25:548:04
514.15:558:04
614.15:568:04
714.15:578:04
814.15:578:04
914.15:588:04
1014.15:598:04
1114.16:008:04
1214.16:018:04
1314.06:028:04
1414.06:028:04
1514.06:038:04
1614.06:048:03
1714.06:058:03
1814.06:068:03
1913.96:078:03
2013.96:088:03
2113.96:098:02
2213.96:108:02
2313.96:108:02
2413.86:118:01
2513.86:128:01
2613.86:138:00
2713.86:148:00
2813.76:157:59
2913.76:167:59
3013.76:177:58
3113.76:187:58

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.49 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.46 kWh/m² to a high of 6.49 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 6.49 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Central Coast

In seasonPeak

In January, Central Coast sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Central Coast sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Central Coast?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Central Coast for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Central Coast in January

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

In January, Central Coast sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 19°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Central Coast in January

The nearest coast averages about 23°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 22 km away) is warmest in February at about 23°C and coldest in August near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 16 to Jun 4 — about 6.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan23Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar23Refreshing
Apr22Refreshing
May21Refreshing
Jun20Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct19Cool
Nov20Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Central Coast in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Central Coast peaks around January 16 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 16UV 12Jun 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct8Very high
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Central Coast in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Central Coast is worst in December — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Central Coast's WHO annual average of 10.5 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateDec 1416 µg/m³Jun 167 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb9Good
Mar9Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul8Good
Aug10Good
Sep14Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov14Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Central Coast?

Central Coast sits at 33.4°S, 151.4°E, 15 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Umina Beach, 12 km away.

Topography around Central Coast

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Central Coast has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 215 m around an average of 46 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 331 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 819 m.

The land around Central Coast is covered by trees (66%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and water (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
215 m
16 km
331 m
80 km
819 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Umina Beach 12 km · Pittwater 27 km · Dee Why 37 km · Saint Ives 39 km · Hornsby 39 km · Wahroonga 40 km · Manly 42 km · Cherrybrook 44 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 Central Coast (-33.4298°, 151.3714°, elevation 15 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).