Guangzhou weather in January

In January, Guangzhou sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 41 mm of rain across 6.4 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Guangzhou's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Guangzhou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
12th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
41 mm
6.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
7:15 AM – 5:58 PM
Cloud cover
59%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Guangzhou is capital city of Guangdong Province, China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 36.4 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
2,221/km²
people per km²
Founded
~214 BCE

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 19°C through the month.

A typical January day in Guangzhou reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12012
21912
31912
41912
51912
61912
71912
81912
91912
101912
111912
121912
131912
141912
151912
161912
171812
181812
191812
201812
211812
221812
231812
241812
251812
261812
271812
281812
291812
301912
311912

How January really feels in Guangzhou

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Guangzhou weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 12°416.410.76.6
Feb20° / 13°558.911.26.1
Mar23° / 17°11714.311.85.8
Apr27° / 21°19716.512.55.1
May30° / 24°2902113.13.5
Jun32° / 26°33622.713.42.6
Jul33° / 27°22921.813.32.4
Aug33° / 27°26522.112.82.5
Sep32° / 25°17715.812.13.6
Oct29° / 22°586.411.56.1
Nov25° / 18°355.310.97.7
Dec21° / 13°374.710.67.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35248
45248
55050
64951
74951
84852
94753
104654
114654
124555
134555
144456
154456
164258
174258
184258
194159
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254159
264159
274258
284258
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Guangzhou gets around 41 mm of rain over 6.4 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 21% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
217
317
417
518
618
718
819
919
1019
1119
1220
1320
1420
1520
1621
1721
1821
1922
2022
2122
2222
2323
2423
2523
2623
2723
2824
2924
3024
3124

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 73% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1731881
2731881
3731881
4721891
5721891
67118101
77217101
87217101
97117102
107117102
117216102
127216102
137216102
147315102
15741592
16741592
17741592
18741592
19751492
20761482
21761482
22761482
23761482
24751582
25741592
26741592
27741592
28741592
29741592
30731692
317216102

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:12 AM to 7:12 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.67:125:48
210.67:125:49
310.67:135:49
410.67:135:50
510.67:135:51
610.67:135:51
710.67:145:52
810.67:145:53
910.77:145:53
1010.77:145:54
1110.77:145:55
1210.77:145:55
1310.77:145:56
1410.77:155:57
1510.77:155:57
1610.77:155:58
1710.77:155:59
1810.77:155:59
1910.87:156:00
2010.87:156:01
2110.87:146:01
2210.87:146:02
2310.87:146:03
2410.87:146:03
2510.87:146:04
2610.97:146:05
2710.97:136:06
2810.97:136:06
2910.97:136:07
3010.97:136:08
3110.97:126:08

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.95 kWh/m² to a high of 5.07 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 2.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Guangzhou

In seasonPeak

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

Guangzhou sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Guangzhou's monsoon runs April–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Guangzhou?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.7
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Guangzhou for sightseeing.

What to pack for Guangzhou in January

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

In January, Guangzhou sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 12°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 6 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Guangzhou in January

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 67 km away) is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Mar 21 to Dec 17 — about 8.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar20Cool
Apr22Refreshing
May26Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep28Tropical
Oct27Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Guangzhou in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Guangzhou peaks around July 16 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJul 16UV 12Jan 12UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb7High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov7High
Dec6High

Air quality in Guangzhou 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 Guangzhou is worst in January — around 47 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 24 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Guangzhou's WHO annual average of 36.4 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorJan 2147 µg/m³Jul 1124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan47Poor
Feb45Poor
Mar42Poor
Apr37Poor
May31Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep39Poor
Oct37Poor
Nov42Poor
Dec39Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Guangzhou?

Guangzhou sits at 23.1°N, 113.3°E, 15 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Zhuhai, 99 km away.

Topography around Guangzhou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Guangzhou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 64 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,285 m.

The land around Guangzhou is covered by artificial surfaces (79%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (65%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
64 m
16 km
371 m
80 km
1,285 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Zhuhai 99 km · Shenzhen 105 km · Macau 106 km · Ha Tsuen 106 km · Tin Shui Wai 106 km · 107 km · Ping Shan 108 km · Yeung Uk Tsuen 108 km

China travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,862
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.5
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
17.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 464
Religion
unaffiliated 52%folk religion 22%Buddhist 18%Christian 5%

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 Guangzhou (23.1167°, 113.25°, elevation 15 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).