Sanya weather in January

In January, Sanya sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 12 mm of rain across 2.3 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-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 42% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Sanya's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sanya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
12th warmest
Overnight low
19°
1st coldest
Rainfall
12 mm
2.3 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
7:21 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
50%
6th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Sanya is prefecture-level city in Hainan, China.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 15.5 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
537/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 23°C through the month.

A typical January day in Sanya reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 4°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 cooler than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12319
22319
32319
42319
52319
62319
72319
82319
92319
102319
112319
122319
132319
142319
152319
162318
172318
182318
192318
202318
212318
222318
232318
242318
252318
262318
272318
282318
292318
302318
312318

How January really feels in Sanya

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.

Sanya weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 19°122.3118.2
Feb24° / 19°102.511.48.2
Mar25° / 22°183.811.97.9
Apr28° / 24°538.612.46.6
May29° / 26°1391912.84.3
Jun30° / 27°21222.213.13.4
Jul29° / 26°28023133.6
Aug29° / 26°26124.412.63.5
Sep29° / 26°25822.312.13.8
Oct28° / 24°1821411.65.7
Nov26° / 22°545.611.17.5
Dec24° / 19°26310.98.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27129
36931
46931
56832
66832
76634
86634
96535
106535
116436
126436
136337
146337
156337
166337
176337
186436
196436
206436
216535
226634
236634
246634
256832
266832
276832
286931
296931
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Sanya gets around 12 mm of rain over 2.3 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 7% and peaks near 8% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
16
27
37
47
57
67
77
88
98
108
118
128
138
148
158
168
178
188
198
208
218
228
237
247
257
267
277
287
297
307
317

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 33% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 35% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1131934313
2131934323
3121934323
4121933324
5121933324
6121933324
7121833325
8121833325
9131832325
10131832325
11131732325
12131732326
13131732326
14131733316
15141733316
16141733315
17141733315
18141833305
19141834305
20131934304
21131934304
22132034304
23132034293
24132034293
25132134293
26132133293
27132133293
28132133294
29132133294
30132133294
31132133294

Wind in January

Winds average 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 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 7:17 AM to 7:20 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.97:176:13
210.97:186:13
310.97:186:14
410.97:186:14
510.97:196:15
610.97:196:16
711.07:196:16
811.07:196:17
911.07:206:17
1011.07:206:18
1111.07:206:19
1211.07:206:19
1311.07:206:20
1411.07:216:20
1511.07:216:21
1611.07:216:22
1711.07:216:22
1811.07:216:23
1911.07:216:24
2011.17:216:24
2111.17:216:25
2211.17:216:25
2311.17:216:26
2411.17:216:27
2511.17:216:27
2611.17:216:28
2711.17:216:28
2811.17:216:29
2911.27:206:29
3011.27:206:30
3111.27:206:31

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.79 kWh/m² to a high of 5.82 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
134.0Moderate
144.0Moderate
154.0Moderate
164.0Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Moderate
204.0Bright
214.0Bright
224.0Bright
234.1Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sanya

In seasonPeak

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

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

Sanya's monsoon runs May–October, 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 Sanya?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Sanya for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Sanya in January

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

In January, Sanya sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 19°C. Worth packing: light clothes.

light clothes

Sea temperature near Sanya 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 19 km away) is warmest in June at about 29°C and coldest in February near 23°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan23Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar24Warm
Apr26Warm
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Warm
Nov26Warm
Dec25Warm

UV index in Sanya in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sanya peaks around August 11 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighAug 11UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Sanya 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 Sanya is worst in December — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (August, 11 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Sanya's WHO annual average of 15.5 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateDec 1922 µg/m³Aug 1411 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May11Good
Jun12Good
Jul11Good
Aug11Good
Sep11Good
Oct18Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sanya?

Sanya sits at 18.3°N, 109.5°E, 1 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is An Hải, 278 km away.

Topography around Sanya

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sanya has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 610 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,775 m.

The land around Sanya is covered by trees (42%), artificial surfaces (32%) and water (22%) within 3 km, water (45%) and trees (41%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (45%) within 80 km.

3 km
203 m
16 km
610 m
80 km
1,775 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: An Hải 278 km · Da Nang 279 km · Sơn Trà 279 km · Thanh Khê 280 km · Hòa Cường 283 km · Hương Thủy 284 km · Hue 285 km · Cẩm Lệ 285 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 Sanya (18.2543°, 109.5095°, elevation 1 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).