Darwin weather in January

In January, Darwin sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 438 mm of rain across 27.6 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Darwin's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Darwin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
11th warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
438 mm
27.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
6:36 AM – 7:16 PM
Cloud cover
86%
12th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Darwin is capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia, and the surrounding area.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,443/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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 31°C through the month.

A typical January day in Darwin reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13126
23126
33126
43126
53126
63126
73126
83126
93126
103126
113126
123126
133126
143126
153126
163126
173126
183126
193126
203126
213126
223126
233126
243126
253126
263126
273126
283126
293126
303126
313126

How January really feels in Darwin

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
9 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Darwin weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 26°43827.612.72.6
Feb31° / 26°37625.612.42.6
Mar32° / 25°30024.412.12.7
Apr33° / 24°10010.111.73.4
May33° / 22°142.411.44.2
Jun32° / 20°20.411.35.2
Jul32° / 19°10.311.35.3
Aug33° / 19°20.511.64.7
Sep34° / 22°163.811.93.6
Oct34° / 24°7611.212.33.0
Nov33° / 25°18020.812.62.6
Dec32° / 26°32324.912.72.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21585
31585
41585
51585
61684
71684
81585
91486
101486
111486
121486
131486
141486
151387
161288
171189
181189
191189
201189
211090
221090
231090
241189
251189
261288
271288
281288
291387
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Darwin gets around 438 mm of rain over 27.6 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 89% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
186
286
386
486
586
686
786
886
986
1086
1187
1287
1388
1488
1589
1689
1790
1890
1991
2091
2191
2292
2392
2492
2592
2692
2793
2893
2992
3092
3192

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the miserable band about 96% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1595
2496
3496
4496
5496
6496
7496
8496
9496
10496
11496
12496
13496
14496
15496
16496
17496
18496
19496
20496
21496
22496
23496
24496
25496
26496
27496
28595
29595
30595
31595

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of January to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:28 AM to 6:43 AM, and sunset from 7:11 PM to 7:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.76:287:11
212.76:297:12
312.76:297:12
412.76:307:13
512.76:307:13
612.76:317:13
712.76:317:13
812.76:327:14
912.76:327:14
1012.76:337:14
1112.76:337:15
1212.76:347:15
1312.76:357:15
1412.76:357:15
1512.76:367:16
1612.76:367:16
1712.76:377:16
1812.66:377:16
1912.66:387:16
2012.66:387:16
2112.66:397:16
2212.66:397:16
2312.66:407:17
2412.66:407:17
2512.66:417:17
2612.66:417:17
2712.66:427:17
2812.66:427:17
2912.66:437:17
3012.66:437:17
3112.66:437:17

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.32 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Darwin

In seasonPeak

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

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

Darwin's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Darwin?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Darwin.

What to pack for Darwin in January

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

In January, Darwin sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Darwin in January

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in December at about 31°C and coldest in July near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct30Tropical
Nov31Tropical
Dec31Tropical

UV index in Darwin 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 Darwin peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Darwin 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 Darwin is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (March, 5 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Darwin's WHO annual average of 9.1 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1416 µg/m³Mar 185 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Darwin?

Darwin sits at 12.5°S, 130.8°E, 31 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Palmerston, 16 km away.

SuaiAileuAtsabe

Topography around Darwin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Darwin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 227 m.

The land around Darwin is covered by water (62%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and trees (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
51 m
80 km
227 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Palmerston 16 km · Lospalos 607 km · Venilale 647 km · Baucau 653 km · Suai 703 km · Aileu 710 km · Atsabe 713 km · Dili 721 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 Darwin (-12.4611°, 130.8418°, elevation 31 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).