Wollongong weather in January

In January, Wollongong sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 84 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°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 18 min at the start of January to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Wollongong's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wollongong's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
84 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
6:04 AM – 8:08 PM
Cloud cover
53%
9th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Wollongong is city in New South Wales, Australia.

Density
410/km²
people per km²
Founded
1834

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 23°C through the month.

A typical January day in Wollongong reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12219
22220
32220
42220
52220
62220
72220
82220
92220
102220
112220
122220
132220
142320
152320
162320
172320
182320
192320
202320
212320
222320
232320
242320
252320
262321
272321
282321
292321
302321
312321

Wollongong weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 20°8410.7146.7
Feb23° / 20°11612.313.36.4
Mar22° / 19°11013.812.36.3
Apr20° / 18°9511.611.26.3
May18° / 15°989.910.26.1
Jun16° / 14°12310.59.75.3
Jul16° / 12°668.19.95.4
Aug16° / 13°636.710.75.8
Sep17° / 14°597.611.86.2
Oct19° / 15°739.712.96.3
Nov20° / 17°8510.613.86.2
Dec21° / 19°7211.414.36.4

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 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35644
45743
55743
65644
75743
85743
95743
105743
115743
125743
135743
145743
155743
165644
175545
185644
195545
205545
215545
225545
235545
245545
255545
265545
275644
285644
295545
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Wollongong gets around 84 mm of rain over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
333
433
533
633
733
833
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1935
2035
2135
2236
2336
2436
2537
2637
2737
2838
2938
3039
3139

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 45% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1122334301
2122234311
3112233312
4112233322
5112233332
6112232342
7102231352
8102231352
9102130362
10102130372
11102129382
12102128392
13102028403
1492027403
1591927414
1691827424
1781827435
1881727435
1981627436
2071527447
2171527447
2271427448
2361428449
2461328449
25613284310
26613284310
27613284211
28613284111
29613294012
30613294012
31614293912

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
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020breezy
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 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 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:52 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 8:08 PM to 8:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.35:528:08
214.35:528:08
314.25:538:08
414.25:548:08
514.25:558:08
614.25:558:08
714.25:568:08
814.25:578:08
914.25:588:08
1014.25:588:08
1114.25:598:08
1214.16:008:08
1314.16:018:08
1414.16:028:08
1514.16:038:08
1614.16:048:08
1714.06:058:07
1814.06:068:07
1914.06:068:07
2014.06:078:07
2114.06:088:06
2213.96:098:06
2313.96:108:06
2413.96:118:05
2513.96:128:05
2613.96:138:04
2713.86:148:04
2813.86:158:03
2913.86:168:03
3013.86:178:02
3113.76:188:02

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.8 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.37 kWh/m² to a high of 6.8 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 6.8 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
96.9Intense
106.9Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Wollongong

In seasonPeak

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

Wollongong 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 Wollongong?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Wollongong for sightseeing.

What to pack for Wollongong in January

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

In January, Wollongong sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Wollongong 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 18 to Jun 4 — about 6.5 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
Nov20Cool
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Wollongong 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 Wollongong peaks around January 1 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 highModerateVery highExtremeJan 1UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct8Very high
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Wollongong 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 Wollongong is worst in December — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.8× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateDec 1830 µg/m³Jun 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul7Good
Aug8Good
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec32Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Wollongong?

Wollongong sits at 34.4°S, 150.9°E, 29 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Wollongong city centre, 0.0 km away.

Topography around Wollongong

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wollongong has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 140 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 578 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,069 m.

The land around Wollongong is covered by water (33%), artificial surfaces (32%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, water (50%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
140 m
16 km
578 m
80 km
1,069 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Wollongong city centre 0.0 km · Engadine 41 km · Cronulla 47 km · Miranda 47 km · Casula 52 km · Prestons 54 km · Hurstville 54 km · Kogarah 55 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 Wollongong (-34.424°, 150.8935°, elevation 29 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).