Avarua weather in January

In January, Avarua sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 213 mm of rain across 18.1 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 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Avarua's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Avarua's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
25°
10th coldest
Rainfall
213 mm
18.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
6:14 AM – 7:23 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Avarua is capital city of the Cook Islands.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Avarua reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12625
22625
32625
42625
52625
62625
72625
82625
92625
102625
112625
122625
132625
142625
152625
162625
172625
182625
192625
202625
212625
222625
232725
242725
252725
262725
272725
282725
292725
302725
312725

Avarua 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
Jan26° / 25°21318.113.15.3
Feb27° / 25°1781712.75.1
Mar27° / 25°18618.612.15.3
Apr26° / 25°1531511.55.8
May25° / 24°12512.7116.3
Jun24° / 23°648.210.77.1
Jul23° / 22°989.210.87.1
Aug23° / 22°728.311.37.1
Sep23° / 22°738.411.97.1
Oct24° / 23°878.812.57.0
Nov25° / 24°10810.7136.6
Dec26° / 25°18914.513.35.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33565
43565
53664
63763
73763
83862
93862
103862
113961
123961
133961
143961
153961
163862
173862
183862
193763
203763
213763
223763
233763
243862
253862
263961
273961
283961
294060
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Avarua gets around 213 mm of rain over 18.1 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 58% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
158
258
359
458
558
658
757
857
956
1056
1156
1256
1356
1456
1557
1657
1757
1858
1958
2059
2159
2260
2360
2460
2561
2661
2761
2861
2961
3061
3161

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 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1423694
2422704
3321724
4320734
5319735
6318745
7318745
8317746
9316756
10216766
11216766
12215767
13215767
14115777
15114787
16114778
17114778
18113788
19113779
20013789
21013789
22013789
230137710
240137710
250137710
260137710
270137611
281137511
291137412
301137313
311137313

Wind in January

Winds average 22 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:04 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 7:20 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.36:047:20
213.36:057:21
313.36:057:21
413.36:067:21
513.26:077:22
613.26:077:22
713.26:087:22
813.26:087:22
913.26:097:22
1013.26:107:23
1113.26:107:23
1213.26:117:23
1313.26:127:23
1413.26:127:23
1513.26:137:23
1613.26:147:23
1713.26:147:23
1813.16:157:23
1913.16:167:23
2013.16:167:23
2113.16:177:23
2213.16:187:23
2313.16:187:23
2413.16:197:23
2513.16:197:23
2613.06:207:23
2713.06:217:22
2813.06:217:22
2913.06:227:22
3013.06:237:22
3113.06:237:22

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.44 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.26 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Avarua?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Avarua for sightseeing.

What to pack for Avarua in January

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

In January, Avarua sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 18 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothesa windbreaker

Sea temperature near Avarua in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°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 14 km away) is warmest in March at about 28°C and coldest in August near 24°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
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr27Warm
May26Warm
Jun25Warm
Jul25Warm
Aug24Warm
Sep24Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov26Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Avarua 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 Avarua peaks around February 13 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeFeb 13UV 16Jul 10UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr9Very high
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Avarua?

Avarua sits at 21.2°S, 159.8°W, 7 m above sea level, in Cook Islands. The nearest listed city is Bora Bora, 994 km away.

Topography around Avarua

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Avarua has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 440 m around an average of 65 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 478 m.

The land around Avarua is covered by trees (49%) and water (41%) within 3 km, water (92%) within 16 km, and water (98%) within 80 km.

3 km
440 m
16 km
495 m
80 km
478 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Bora Bora 994 km · Alofi 1,086 km · Moorea 1,120 km · Punaauia 1,138 km · Faaa 1,141 km · Papeete 1,146 km · Pago Pago 1,389 km · Apia 1,512 km

Cook Islands travel facts

Power plugs
Type I
240 V · 50 Hz
Religion
Protestant 55%Roman Catholic 17%none/unspecified 16%other 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 Avarua (-21.2075°, -159.7755°, elevation 7 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).