Karratha weather in January

In January, Karratha sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 45 mm of rain across 3.9 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Karratha's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Karratha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
27°
10th coldest
Rainfall
45 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:48 AM – 6:56 PM
Cloud cover
31%
9th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Karratha is town in Western Australia.

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 32°C through the month.

A typical January day in Karratha reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

25°28°30°33°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13227
23227
33227
43227
53227
63227
73227
83227
93227
103227
113227
123227
133228
143228
153228
163228
173228
183228
193228
203228
213228
223228
233228
243228
253227
263227
273227
283227
293227
303227
313227

How January really feels in Karratha

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.

Karratha weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 27°453.913.15.0
Feb32° / 28°814.912.74.8
Mar32° / 28°683.412.14.8
Apr31° / 26°251.711.55.8
May28° / 22°252.6117.8
Jun25° / 19°312.710.88.7
Jul24° / 18°121.310.99.3
Aug25° / 19°30.511.39.5
Sep27° / 20°20.211.99.1
Oct29° / 23°10.212.57.7
Nov30° / 25°10.2136.8
Dec31° / 26°201.213.25.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18713
28713
38614
48614
58515
68515
78515
88416
98416
108317
118317
128119
138119
148020
157921
167822
177723
187624
197525
207426
217327
227327
237327
247327
257228
267228
277228
287228
297129
307129
317129

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Karratha gets around 45 mm of rain over 3.9 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 12% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
17
27
38
48
59
69
79
89
910
1010
1110
1210
1311
1411
1511
1612
1712
1813
1913
2014
2114
2214
2315
2415
2515
2615
2715
2815
2916
3016
3116

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
126214725
226204726
316194827
415174928
515164928
615164929
715154930
815144832
915144833
1005144734
1105134636
1205134537
1305134339
1405134240
1505134141
1605134042
1705133943
1805143844
1905143844
2004143844
2104143844
2204143844
2304143844
2404143944
2504143943
2603144043
2703144142
2803144142
2903144241
3003144341
3102134341

Wind in January

Winds average 20 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920breezy
2020breezy
2120breezy
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 54 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 5:39 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 6:53 PM to 6:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:396:53
213.25:396:53
313.25:406:54
413.25:406:54
513.25:416:54
613.25:426:54
713.25:426:55
813.25:436:55
913.25:436:55
1013.25:446:55
1113.25:456:55
1213.25:456:55
1313.25:466:56
1413.25:476:56
1513.15:476:56
1613.15:486:56
1713.15:496:56
1813.15:496:56
1913.15:506:56
2013.15:516:56
2113.15:516:56
2213.15:526:56
2313.15:526:56
2413.05:536:56
2513.05:546:56
2613.05:546:55
2713.05:556:55
2813.05:566:55
2913.05:566:55
3013.05:576:55
3112.95:586:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.19 kWh/m² to a high of 8.16 kWh/m² in November across the year — January's 7.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.0Intense
28.0Intense
38.0Intense
47.9Intense
57.9Intense
67.9Intense
77.9Intense
87.8Intense
97.8Intense
107.8Intense
117.8Intense
127.7Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.6Intense
167.6Intense
177.6Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
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

Hazard calendar for Karratha

In seasonPeak

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

Karratha 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 Karratha?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Karratha in January

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

In January, Karratha sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Karratha in January

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 13 km away) is warmest in March at about 30°C and coldest in August near 23°C.

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

20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May27Warm
Jun24Warm
Jul23Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep24Refreshing
Oct25Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec28Warm

UV index in Karratha 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 Karratha peaks around December 23 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeDec 23UV 15Jun 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Karratha 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 Karratha is worst in December — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 7.0× the cleanest month (July, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateGoodModeratePoorDec 2048 µg/m³Jul 207 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan43Poor
Feb31Moderate
Mar23Moderate
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul7Good
Aug7Good
Sep11Good
Oct20Moderate
Nov32Moderate
Dec49Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Karratha?

Karratha sits at 20.7°S, 116.8°E, 20 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Port Hedland, 190 km away.

BroomeGeraldtonKalgoorlieEllenbrookLandsdaleBallajuraDuncraig

Topography around Karratha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Karratha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 123 m around an average of 23 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 170 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 m.

The land around Karratha is covered by grassland (54%) within 3 km, grassland (51%) and water (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (48%) and water (44%) within 80 km.

3 km
123 m
16 km
170 m
80 km
377 m
shrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Port Hedland 190 km · Broome 645 km · Geraldton 922 km · Kalgoorlie 1,205 km · Ellenbrook 1,230 km · Landsdale 1,235 km · Ballajura 1,238 km · Duncraig 1,238 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 Karratha (-20.7376°, 116.8463°, elevation 20 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).