Mount Isa weather in January

In January, Mount Isa sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 104 mm of rain across 10.1 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 Mount Isa's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mount Isa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
24°
12th coldest
Rainfall
104 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
6:17 AM – 7:25 PM
Cloud cover
53%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Mount Isa is city in Queensland, Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM10 29.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1923

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 35°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mount Isa reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 40°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°40°45°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13624
23524
33524
43524
53524
63524
73524
83524
93524
103524
113524
123524
133524
143524
153524
163524
173524
183524
193524
203524
213524
223524
233524
243524
253524
263524
273524
283524
293524
303524
313524

How January really feels in Mount Isa

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.

Mount Isa weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 24°10410.113.12.4
Feb35° / 24°878.912.72.8
Mar34° / 22°614.512.13.5
Apr32° / 19°141.311.55.3
May27° / 15°71118.2
Jun25° / 11°60.810.89.2
Jul25° / 10°20.510.99.4
Aug27° / 12°20.411.38.8
Sep31° / 16°60.911.95.9
Oct34° / 20°121.812.53.8
Nov36° / 22°275132.5
Dec36° / 24°627.513.22.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26139
36139
46139
56040
66040
75941
85941
95941
105842
115842
125842
135842
145842
155842
165842
175941
185941
195941
205941
215941
225941
235941
246040
256040
266139
276139
286139
296139
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mount Isa gets around 104 mm of rain over 10.1 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 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
232
332
432
532
632
733
833
933
1033
1133
1233
1333
1433
1533
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2431
2531
2631
2731
2832
2932
3032
3132

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 27% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 46% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
128161817210
228161817220
327161816230
426161816230
526161816240
625161916250
724151916260
824151915270
923151915270
1022151915280
1122151916290
1221151916290
1321151916290
1420151916290
1520151917290
1619161817290
1719161818291
1818161818281
1918161819281
2018161820281
2117161820281
2217161821271
2317151822271
2417151822271
2517141823271
2617141824271
2717131824261
2818121725271
2918121725272
3019111725272
3119101725272

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 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

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 6:08 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 7:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.26:087:22
213.26:097:23
313.26:097:23
413.26:107:23
513.26:107:23
613.26:117:24
713.26:127:24
813.26:127:24
913.26:137:24
1013.26:147:25
1113.26:147:25
1213.26:157:25
1313.26:157:25
1413.26:167:25
1513.16:177:25
1613.16:177:25
1713.16:187:25
1813.16:197:25
1913.16:197:25
2013.16:207:25
2113.16:217:25
2213.16:217:25
2313.16:227:25
2413.06:237:25
2513.06:237:25
2613.06:247:25
2713.06:247:25
2813.06:257:24
2913.06:267:24
3013.06:267:24
3112.96:277:24

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.83 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.45 kWh/m² to a high of 7.41 kWh/m² in November across the year — January's 6.83 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.1Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
86.9Intense
96.9Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Mount Isa?

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

2.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mount Isa.

What to pack for Mount Isa in January

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

In January, Mount Isa sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Mount Isa in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mount Isa peaks around February 8 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 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 highExtremeFeb 8UV 16Jun 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mount Isa 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 Mount Isa is worst in October — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (March, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateOct 1525 µg/m³Mar 1011 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr17Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mount Isa?

Mount Isa sits at 20.7°S, 139.5°E, 363 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Alice Springs, 666 km away.

Alice SpringsKirwanTownsvilleCairnsPort DouglasAirlie BeachUluruMackay

Topography around Mount Isa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mount Isa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 m around an average of 364 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 341 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 m.

The land around Mount Isa is covered by grassland (33%), artificial surfaces (29%) and bare terrain (20%) within 3 km, grassland (80%) within 16 km, and grassland (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
243 m
16 km
341 m
80 km
433 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Alice Springs 666 km · Kirwan 771 km · Townsville 781 km · Cairns 783 km · Port Douglas 786 km · Airlie Beach 961 km · Uluru 1,005 km · Mackay 1,005 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 Mount Isa (-20.7252°, 139.4973°, elevation 363 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. 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).