Thaba-Tseka weather in January

In January, Thaba-Tseka sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 184 mm of precipitation across 20.1 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 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Thaba-Tseka's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Thaba-Tseka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
1st warmest
Overnight low
10°
12th coldest
Precipitation
184 mm
20.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:24 AM – 7:06 PM
Cloud cover
55%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
7.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Thaba-Tseka is city.

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 21°C through the month.

A typical January day in Thaba-Tseka reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12110
22110
32110
42110
52110
62110
72110
82110
92110
102110
112110
122110
132110
142110
152110
162110
172110
182110
192110
202110
212110
222110
232110
242110
252110
262110
272110
282110
292110
302110
312110

How January really feels in Thaba-Tseka

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.

Thaba-Tseka 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
Jan21° / 10°18420.10.113.75.2
Feb21° / 10°14917.1013.15.2
Mar19° / 11815.8012.25.6
Apr17° / 609.40.311.35.6
May14° / 254.80.710.54.9
Jun11° / -3°152.51.510.13.7
Jul11° / -4°142.31.510.33.5
Aug13° / -2°324.71.310.94.5
Sep17° / 3560.611.86.3
Oct18° / 10913.50.212.75.8
Nov19° / 12915.80.313.55.5
Dec20° / 16519.5013.95.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36040
46040
55941
66040
76040
86040
96040
106040
115941
125941
135842
145842
155842
165644
175644
185644
195545
205545
215545
225446
235446
245446
255446
265545
275545
285644
295644
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Thaba-Tseka gets around 184 mm of rain and snow over 20.1 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 precipitation averages around 64% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
163
264
364
464
564
664
764
863
963
1063
1163
1263
1363
1464
1564
1664
1764
1865
1965
2065
2165
2265
2365
2465
2565
2665
2764
2864
2963
3063
3163

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

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
68calm
78calm
88calm
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 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:13 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 7:05 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:137:05
213.95:137:05
313.85:147:05
413.85:157:05
513.85:167:05
613.85:167:06
713.85:177:06
813.85:187:06
913.85:187:06
1013.85:197:06
1113.85:207:06
1213.85:217:06
1313.75:217:06
1413.75:227:06
1513.75:237:06
1613.75:247:06
1713.75:257:06
1813.75:257:06
1913.75:267:05
2013.65:277:05
2113.65:287:05
2213.65:297:05
2313.65:307:05
2413.65:307:04
2513.55:317:04
2613.55:327:04
2713.55:337:03
2813.55:347:03
2913.55:357:02
3013.45:357:02
3113.45:367:02

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.73 kWh/m² to a high of 7.47 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 7.06 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.3Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.3Intense
97.3Intense
107.2Intense
117.2Intense
127.2Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.1Intense
167.1Intense
177.1Intense
187.1Intense
197.0Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
226.9Intense
236.9Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Thaba-Tseka

In seasonPeak

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

Thaba-Tseka'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 Thaba-Tseka?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Thaba-Tseka for sightseeing.

What to pack for Thaba-Tseka in January

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

In January, Thaba-Tseka sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Thaba-Tseka in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Thaba-Tseka peaks around January 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 16Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Thaba-Tseka 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 Thaba-Tseka is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.7× the cleanest month (December, 4 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1715 µg/m³Dec 204 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr9Good
May12Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov5Good
Dec4Good
Location & terrain

Where is Thaba-Tseka?

Thaba-Tseka sits at 29.5°S, 28.6°E, 2,230 m above sea level, in Lesotho. The nearest listed city is Qacha’s Nek, 66 km away.

Qacha’s NekHlotseButha-ButheTeyateyanengMaputsoeFicksburgFouriesburgMabote

Topography around Thaba-Tseka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Thaba-Tseka has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 668 m around an average of 2,201 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,331 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,049 m.

The land around Thaba-Tseka is covered by grassland (66%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, grassland (88%) within 16 km, and grassland (91%) within 80 km.

3 km
668 m
16 km
1,331 m
80 km
2,049 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
January weather nearby: Qacha’s Nek 66 km · Hlotse 91 km · Butha-Buthe 91 km · Teyateyaneng 93 km · Maputsoe 99 km · Ficksburg 101 km · Fouriesburg 108 km · Mabote 108 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 Thaba-Tseka (-29.522°, 28.6084°, elevation 2,230 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).