Mbabane weather in January

In January, Mbabane sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 217 mm of rain across 19.7 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-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 24% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mbabane's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbabane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
1st warmest
Overnight low
17°
12th coldest
Rainfall
217 mm
19.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:20 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
64%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Mbabane is capital of Eswatini.

Density
508/km²
people per km²
Founded
1902

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 Mbabane reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52617
62617
72617
82617
92617
102517
112517
122517
132517
142517
152517
162517
172517
182517
192517
202517
212517
222517
232517
242617
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Mbabane weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°21719.713.55.3
Feb25° / 17°17616.612.95.5
Mar25° / 16°15916.812.26.0
Apr23° / 14°7811.311.46.9
May22° / 11°325.510.78.0
Jun20° / 183.510.48.1
Jul20° / 183.910.57.9
Aug22° / 10°325.511.17.9
Sep23° / 12°57911.87.4
Oct24° / 13°11215.712.66.1
Nov24° / 15°17118.613.35.4
Dec25° / 16°20819.913.65.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24258
34258
44159
54258
64258
74258
84258
94258
104258
114060
124060
134060
144060
153961
163961
173862
183862
193763
203763
213862
223862
233862
243961
254060
264060
274159
284258
294258
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mbabane gets around 217 mm of rain over 19.7 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 63% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
162
261
361
461
561
662
762
862
963
1063
1163
1263
1364
1464
1564
1664
1764
1864
1964
2064
2164
2264
2364
2464
2563
2663
2763
2864
2964
3064
3163

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 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 35% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13134836
23134836
33144835
43144935
53144934
63144934
73145034
83145033
93145033
103145033
113145033
123145033
133145033
143145033
153145033
162145133
172135233
182135134
192135134
202135134
212135035
222125135
232125135
241115335
251115236
261105336
271105237
281105237
29195238
30195238
31195139

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:10 AM to 5:32 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:106:47
213.65:116:48
313.65:116:48
413.65:126:48
513.65:126:48
613.65:136:49
713.65:146:49
813.65:156:49
913.65:156:49
1013.65:166:49
1113.55:176:49
1213.55:176:49
1313.55:186:49
1413.55:196:49
1513.55:206:49
1613.55:206:49
1713.55:216:49
1813.55:226:49
1913.45:236:49
2013.45:236:49
2113.45:246:49
2213.45:256:49
2313.45:266:48
2413.45:266:48
2513.35:276:48
2613.35:286:48
2713.35:296:47
2813.35:296:47
2913.35:306:47
3013.35:316:46
3113.25:326:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.79 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.63 kWh/m² to a high of 5.79 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.79 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mbabane

In seasonPeak

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

Mbabane's monsoon runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Mbabane?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mbabane for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbabane in January

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

In January, Mbabane sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mbabane 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 Mbabane peaks around December 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 18UV 13Jul 10UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mbabane 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 Mbabane is worst in July — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateJul 1942 µg/m³Jan 1611 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug40Poor
Sep32Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mbabane?

Mbabane sits at 26.3°S, 31.1°E, 1,209 m above sea level, in Eswatini. The nearest listed city is Lobamba, 18 km away.

LobambaRedhillManziniFernieEmpuluzuLukwatiniNhlazatjeBarberton

Topography around Mbabane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbabane has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 462 m around an average of 1,241 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 991 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,718 m.

The land around Mbabane is covered by trees (47%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
462 m
16 km
991 m
80 km
1,718 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Lobamba 18 km · Redhill 31 km · Manzini 32 km · Fernie 35 km · Empuluzu 36 km · Lukwatini 42 km · Nhlazatje 46 km · Barberton 59 km

Eswatini travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,108
2025
Happiness
3.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
38%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
12.5
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
33.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 90%other 8%Muslim 2%

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 Mbabane (-26.3167°, 31.1333°, elevation 1,209 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. 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).