Qacha’s Nek weather in January

In January, Qacha’s Nek sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 156 mm of rain across 18.6 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of January to 13 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Qacha’s Nek's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qacha’s Nek's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
1st warmest
Overnight low
12°
12th coldest
Rainfall
156 mm
18.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:22 AM – 7:07 PM
Cloud cover
55%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Qacha’s Nek is mountain pass in Qacha's Nek District, Lesotho.

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 24°C through the month.

A typical January day in Qacha’s Nek reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 27°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)
12411
22411
32412
42412
52412
62412
72412
82412
92412
102412
112412
122412
132412
142412
152412
162412
172412
182412
192412
202412
212412
222412
232412
242412
252412
262412
272412
282412
292412
302412
312412

How January really feels in Qacha’s Nek

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.

Qacha’s Nek 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°15618.6013.75.8
Feb23° / 11°13415.4013.15.9
Mar22° / 10014.10.112.26.3
Apr19° / 467.50.211.36.8
May17° / 2040.510.56.8
Jun15° / -2°142.30.910.15.7
Jul14° / -2°142.21.110.35.5
Aug16° / 254.11.210.96.5
Sep20° / 305.70.611.87.4
Oct21° / 8512.80.512.76.4
Nov22° / 11115.30.513.55.9
Dec23° / 11°14318.4013.95.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55941
65941
75941
85941
95941
106040
116040
126040
136040
146040
156040
166040
176040
185941
195842
205743
215743
225644
235644
245446
255446
265446
275446
285446
295446
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Qacha’s Nek gets around 156 mm of rain over 18.6 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 59% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
360
460
560
660
760
860
960
1059
1159
1259
1359
1459
1559
1659
1759
1859
1959
2059
2159
2260
2360
2460
2559
2659
2759
2858
2958
3057
3157

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 89% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1946
2937
3937
4937
5928
6928
7928
8928
9919
10919
11919
12919
139010
149010
158911
168911
178911
188812
198812
208812
218713
228713
238713
248713
258713
268713
278614
288614
298614
308614
318614

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of January to 13 h 30 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 5:11 AM to 5:35 AM, and sunset from 7:06 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:117:06
213.95:127:06
313.95:127:06
413.95:137:06
513.95:147:07
613.95:157:07
713.95:157:07
813.85:167:07
913.85:177:07
1013.85:187:07
1113.85:187:07
1213.85:197:07
1313.85:207:07
1413.85:217:07
1513.85:217:07
1613.75:227:07
1713.75:237:07
1813.75:247:07
1913.75:257:06
2013.75:267:06
2113.75:267:06
2213.65:277:06
2313.65:287:05
2413.65:297:05
2513.65:307:05
2613.65:317:04
2713.55:317:04
2813.55:327:04
2913.55:337:03
3013.55:347:03
3113.55:357:02

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.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.61 kWh/m² to a high of 7.14 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 6.8 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
156.9Intense
166.9Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Qacha’s Nek

In seasonPeak

In January, Qacha’s Nek sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Qacha’s Nek's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Qacha’s Nek?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Qacha’s Nek for sightseeing.

What to pack for Qacha’s Nek in January

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

In January, Qacha’s Nek sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Qacha’s Nek 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 Qacha’s Nek peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 15Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Qacha’s Nek?

Qacha’s Nek sits at 30.1°S, 28.7°E, 1,974 m above sea level, in Lesotho. The nearest listed city is Thaba-Tseka, 66 km away.

Thaba-TsekaTlokoengKokstadQuthingMohale's HoekTeyateyaneng

Topography around Qacha’s Nek

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Qacha’s Nek.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qacha’s Nek has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 559 m around an average of 1,983 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,290 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,517 m.

The land around Qacha’s Nek is covered by grassland (72%) within 3 km, grassland (80%) within 16 km, and grassland (87%) within 80 km.

3 km
559 m
16 km
1,290 m
80 km
2,517 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Thaba-Tseka 66 km · Tlokoeng 67 km · Kokstad 85 km · Quthing 100 km · Mohale's Hoek 117 km · Clydesdale 122 km · Ugie 128 km · Teyateyaneng 141 km

Lesotho travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type M
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,089
2025
Happiness
4.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
38.2
per 100k, 2008
Road deaths
31.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 48%Roman Catholic 39%other Christian 9%none 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 Qacha’s Nek (-30.1154°, 28.6894°, elevation 1,974 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).