Palmerston weather in January

In January, Palmerston sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 439 mm of rain across 28.3 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-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 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 Palmerston's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
9th warmest
Overnight low
25°
12th coldest
Rainfall
439 mm
28.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
6:36 AM – 7:15 PM
Cloud cover
86%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.2
out of 10

Palmerston is planned satellite city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
637/km²
people per km²

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 Palmerston reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 34°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)
13225
23225
33225
43225
53225
63225
73225
83225
93225
103225
113225
123225
133225
143225
153225
163225
173225
183225
193225
203225
213225
223225
233225
243225
253225
263225
273225
283225
293225
303225
313225

How January really feels in Palmerston

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
31 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.

Palmerston weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 25°43928.312.72.2
Feb32° / 25°39325.912.42.3
Mar33° / 25°30423.712.12.5
Apr33° / 23°1009.511.73.3
May33° / 21°152.611.44.3
Jun32° / 19°20.411.35.3
Jul32° / 18°10.211.35.3
Aug33° / 19°10.211.64.5
Sep35° / 22°122.711.93.1
Oct35° / 24°589.312.32.4
Nov35° / 25°17519.312.62.1
Dec33° / 25°33225.312.72.2

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 (%)
11585
21585
31585
41684
51684
61585
71585
81585
91585
101585
111486
121387
131387
141288
151189
161189
171189
181189
191189
201189
211189
221090
231090
241090
251090
261189
271189
281288
291387
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Palmerston gets around 439 mm of rain over 28.3 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 91% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
288
388
488
589
689
789
889
990
1090
1191
1291
1392
1492
1593
1693
1793
1893
1993
2093
2193
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
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 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11189
21090
31090
41090
51090
61090
71090
81090
91090
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15892
16892
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22892
23892
24892
25892
26892
27892
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in January

Winds average 10 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 7:16 PM.

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

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.43 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in October across the year — January's 5.43 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Palmerston

In seasonPeak

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

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

Palmerston'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 Palmerston?

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

2.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Palmerston.

What to pack for Palmerston in January

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

In January, Palmerston sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Palmerston 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 at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) 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 Palmerston 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 Palmerston 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 Palmerston 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 Palmerston is worst in May — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (March, 6 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Palmerston's WHO annual average of 9.8 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1918 µg/m³Mar 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar6Good
Apr8Good
May19Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Palmerston?

Palmerston sits at 12.5°S, 131.0°E, 36 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Darwin, 16 km away.

SuaiAileuAtsabe

Topography around Palmerston

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palmerston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m.

The land around Palmerston is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, trees (49%) within 16 km, and trees (40%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
47 m
16 km
57 m
80 km
229 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Darwin 16 km · Lospalos 620 km · Venilale 660 km · Baucau 666 km · Suai 718 km · Aileu 725 km · Atsabe 727 km · Dili 735 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 Palmerston (-12.486°, 130.9833°, elevation 36 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).